CME Group Announces 100 Million Event Contracts Traded

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) announced that its event contracts reached 100 million contracts traded since launch in December, achieved after eight weeks of trading on Feb. 13, 2026. The contracts target retail traders with a low-cost, intuitive format covering financial indicators, cultural moments and sports.

The company said it plans to expand distribution and reach to new market participants and a next generation of traders while continuing to offer its broader futures, options and clearing services across major asset classes.

Positive

• 100 million event contracts traded since December launch
• Milestone reached in eight weeks of trading

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Event contracts traded: 100 million Trading duration: eight weeks Current price: $303.07 +5 more

8 metrics

Event contracts traded 100 million Total event contracts traded since launch in December

Trading duration eight weeks Time since event contracts launched in December

Current price $303.07 Latest share price before the news

Daily price change 0.47% Price change over the last 24 hours

Today’s volume 2,186,852 Shares traded today

20-day avg volume 2,268,362 Average daily volume over last 20 sessions

52-week high $309.345 Highest price in the last 52 weeks

Price vs 52-week high -2.03% Distance from the 52-week high before this news

Market Reality Check

Price: $303.07 Vol: Volume 2,186,852 is close...

normal vol

$303.07 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,186,852 is close to the 20-day average of 2,268,362, suggesting typical trading interest into this milestone update. normal

Technical Shares at $303.07 are trading above the $274.77 200-day MA and about 2.03% below the 52-week high of $309.35.

Peers on Argus

CME gained 0.47% while key peers also traded higher: ICE +0.65%, NDAQ +0.56%, SP...

CME gained 0.47% while key peers also traded higher: ICE +0.65%, NDAQ +0.56%, SPGI +2.6%, MCO +2.45%, and COIN +6.91%. Scanner data, however, does not flag a coordinated sector momentum move.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 12 (Neutral)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 12	Board nominations	Neutral	-0.3%	Announced full slate of 14 director nominees for 2026 annual meeting.
Feb 12	Dividend declaration	Positive	-0.3%	Declared $6.15 variable and $1.30 Q1 dividend, highlighting strong capital returns.
Feb 12	Product launch	Positive	-0.3%	Announced four South Asia edible oil futures contracts pending regulatory review.
Feb 11	Crypto futures launch	Positive	-0.3%	Launched Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar futures with first trades by institutions.
Feb 10	Single stock futures	Positive	-0.2%	Revealed plans for Single Stock futures on 50+ top U.S. names pending review.

Pattern Detected

Recent positive or neutral announcements have been followed by modestly negative next-day price reactions, indicating a tendency for slight divergence from news tone.

Recent Company History

In the past week, CME has reported several developments: director nominations for the May 14, 2026 annual meeting, a sizable dividend program totaling about $4.0 billion for 2025, and multiple product expansions, including South Asia edible oil futures launching on March 2, 2026, new cryptocurrency futures, and planned Single Stock futures on over 50 U.S. names. Despite generally constructive news, 24-hour price reactions around these events were slightly negative, providing context for how the market has recently digested positive catalysts.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights rapid early adoption of CME’s event contracts, reaching 100 million con...

Analysis

This announcement highlights rapid early adoption of CME’s event contracts, reaching 100 million contracts traded in about eight weeks since their December launch. It adds to a recent string of product expansions and capital return actions. Investors may track whether event contract volumes remain robust, how they complement existing futures and options activity, and how future regulatory filings or product launches shape the company’s broader derivatives ecosystem.

Key Terms

event contracts, derivatives, futures, options, +4 more

8 terms

event contracts financial

"event contracts provide a simple, intuitive, low-cost way for investors"

Contracts whose payment or settlement depends solely on whether a specific, predefined event happens or not — for example a drug approval, a corporate takeover, a loan default, or a weather disaster. Think of them like a focused bet or insurance policy: investors can use them to take a targeted position, hedge exposure, or speculate on an outcome without owning the underlying company, and their results can rapidly change an investor’s gains, losses and risk profile when the event occurs.

derivatives financial

"CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced"

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on the price or performance of another asset, such as a stock, bond, commodity, currency or interest rate. Investors use them to hedge against risk, to speculate on future price moves, or to gain exposure without owning the asset — like buying insurance or placing a leveraged bet — so they can both protect portfolios and magnify gains or losses, affecting risk and market liquidity.

futures financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets"

A futures contract is a standardized agreement to buy or sell an asset (like a commodity, currency, or stock index) at a fixed price on a specific future date. Think of it like locking in the price of a house today for a move-in years from now: it lets buyers and sellers protect themselves against price swings or bet on which way prices will move. For investors, futures matter because they provide a cheap way to manage risk, amplify returns through leverage, and signal market expectations that can move cash prices.

options financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets"

Options are contracts that give investors the right to buy or sell an asset at a specific price within a certain time frame. They function like a reservation or a ticket that allows for potential profit or protection against price changes, making them useful tools for managing investment risks or speculating on market movements.

otc markets financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets"

Over-the-counter (OTC) markets are trading venues where buyers and sellers deal directly through dealers or electronic networks instead of on a formal exchange; think of a neighborhood flea market versus a supermarket. They matter to investors because OTC-listed stocks often represent smaller or international companies with fewer reporting requirements, which can mean lower liquidity, wider price swings and higher risk but sometimes earlier access to growth opportunities.

central counterparty clearing technical

"operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers"

A central counterparty clearing (CCP) is a specialized financial intermediary that sits between buyers and sellers of securities or derivatives, becoming the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer to guarantee trades are completed. Like an insurance-backed referee, it manages the risk of someone failing to pay by requiring collateral, pooling resources, and simplifying many trades into smaller net payments, which helps investors by lowering the chance of loss from a counterparty default and improving market stability and liquidity.

s&p 500 index financial

"The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC"

The S&P 500 Index is a broad measure of the U.S. stock market made up of 500 large companies chosen to represent many industries; think of it as a market-wide scoreboard that shows how big, established American companies are performing. Investors use it as a benchmark to judge fund and portfolio performance, to build low-cost index funds, and to gauge overall market and economic trends much like checking a thermometer for the market’s temperature.

futures contracts financial

"Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored"

A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an asset at a set price on a predetermined future date. Investors use them to lock in prices or to bet on price moves; like agreeing today on the price of a loaf of bread you'll buy months from now to avoid surprise cost changes. Because these deals often require only a small upfront payment compared with the contract size, they can both protect against risk and magnify gains or losses.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced its event contracts reached a new milestone of 100 million contracts traded since launch in December.

Designed for today's retail trader, event contracts provide a simple, intuitive, low-cost way for investors to express their views on the day's biggest stories across financial indicators, cultural moments and sports.

"We are pleased to hit this significant milestone after just eight weeks of trading," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. "Given the strong early support, we look to build on this momentum as we further expand the distribution and reach of these products to new market participants and the next generation of potential traders."

For more information on these products, please visit cmegroup.com.

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural products and metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.  In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. 

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc.  NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.  COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

CME-G

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What milestone did CME (CME) announce on February 13, 2026?

CME announced 100 million event contracts traded since the product launch in December. According to the company, this milestone was achieved after eight weeks of trading and reflects early retail adoption of the new event contract format.

When did CME Group launch event contracts and how quickly did they reach 100 million trades?

CME launched event contracts in December and reached 100 million trades in eight weeks. According to the company, the rapid pace indicates strong early support from retail traders and plans to expand distribution.

What are CME event contracts and who are they designed for (CME)?

Event contracts are simple, low-cost instruments for expressing views on daily stories and outcomes. According to the company, they are designed for today's retail trader and cover financial indicators, cultural moments and sports.

How might the 100 million event-contract milestone affect CME Group's product strategy (CME)?

The milestone may validate demand for retail-focused products and encourage wider distribution. According to the company, strong early support motivates expanding reach to new market participants and the next generation of traders.

Where can investors find more information about CME event contracts (CME)?

Investors can access product details and trading information on the CME website. According to the company, additional product information is available at the firm's official site for prospective traders and market participants.