NMX Nymex Holdings

NEW YORK, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., a subsidiary of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:NMX), today announced that it will launch a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon dioxide allowance futures contract on August 24, for the August 25 trade date. It will also list a RGGI options contract for trade date August 26. The listing of these products on NYMEX is a Green Exchange initiative, which will provide a trading platform for environmental commodities. The new futures contract, with commodity code RJ, will be physically delivered to the RGGI CO2 Allowance Trading System (RGGI-COATS). It will be available for trading on the CME Globex(R) electronic trading platform. Additionally, off-exchange transactions can be submitted for clearing via NYMEX ClearPort(R). The size of the futures contract will be 1,000 RGGI CO2 allowances with a minimum price fluctuation of $0.01 per allowance. It will expire at the termination of the third business day prior to the first business day of the contract month. The RGGI options contract, with contract code OR, will be an American-style option that exercises into the underlying RGGI futures contract. The options will expire three business days prior to the expiration of the underlying RGGI futures contract. There will be five strike prices in increments of $0.50 per allowance above and below the at-the-money strike price. The minimum price fluctuation will be $0.01 per allowance. The contract will trade on the NYMEX trading floor. Additionally, off-exchange options transactions can be submitted for clearing via NYMEX ClearPort. December 2009 will be the first listed month for both the futures and options contracts, with additional contract months to be added. RGGI is a cooperative effort of ten northeastern states to reduce CO2 emissions. Participating states have pledged to reduce by 2010 greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels. RGGI states have put in place a regional cap-and-trade system to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants, and the trading of carbon allowances under this program has begun in the over-the-counter market. RGGI plans to begin quarterly auctions of allowances on September 25, 2008, and the launch of the NYMEX RGGI futures and options contracts are expected to provide the market with a valuable tool for hedging price risk. About the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. The New York Mercantile Exchange, a subsidiary of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:NMX), is the world's largest physical commodities exchange, offering futures and options trading in energy and metals contracts and clearing services for more than 350 off-exchange energy contracts. Through a hybrid model of open outcry floor trading and electronic trading on CME Globex(R) and NYMEX ClearPort(R), NYMEX offers crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, coal, electricity, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, platinum group metals, emissions, and soft commodities contracts for trading and clearing virtually 24 hours each day. For more information, visit the NYMEX website at http://www.nymex.com/. Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to our future performance, operating results, strategy, and other future events. Such statements generally include words such as could, can, anticipate, believe, expect, seek, pursue, and similar words and terms, in connection with any discussion of future results. Forward-looking statements involve a number of assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, any of which may cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated, estimated, or projected results referenced in forward-looking statements. In particular, the forward-looking statements of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries are subject to the following risks and uncertainties: the success and timing of new futures contracts and products; changes in political, economic, or industry conditions; the unfavorable resolution of material legal proceedings; the impact and timing of technological changes and the adequacy of intellectual property protection; the impact of legislative and regulatory actions, including without limitation, actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and terrorist activities and international hostilities, which may affect the general economy as well as oil and other commodity markets. We assume no obligation to update or supplement our forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: NYMEX Holdings, Inc. CONTACT: Anu Ahluwalia of NYMEX Holdings, Inc., +1-212-299-2439; or Evan Ard of Evolution Markets, +1-914-323-0210, for NYMEX Holdings, Inc. Web site: http://www.nymex.com/

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