CME Group Announces First Trade of U.S. Zinc Futures

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) reported that the first trades of its updated U.S. Zinc Futures were executed on CME Globex by Glencore and Trafigura on August 20, 2026, for September delivery. The contract was converted to a U.S. duty-paid structure in March 2026 to reflect U.S. zinc pricing dynamics and offer a centrally cleared risk management tool for the all-in U.S. zinc price.

CME Group highlighted strong activity in related regional metals contracts, including record year-to-date trading in U.S. and European Hot-Rolled Coil steel futures, 12% year-over-year growth in copper futures volumes in 1H 2026, and record 2025 volumes in its Regional Aluminum Premium suite. The U.S. Zinc Futures contract is physically settled and listed under COMEX rules.

Positive

• First U.S. Zinc Futures trades completed August 20, 2026, by Glencore and Trafigura
• Robust regional metals volumes including U.S. HRC at 1,483 contracts/day year-to-date
• Copper futures volume up 12% YoY in 1H 2026, averaging 107,000 contracts/day

Negative

• None.

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CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced that the first trades of its U.S. Zinc Futures contracts were executed on CME Globex by Glencore and Trafigura. The first trades, executed on screen on August 20, were for September delivery.

CME Group updated its Zinc contract to U.S. duty-paid in March 2026 in response to client demand for a tool to manage U.S. pricing dynamics. As an exchange-traded, centrally cleared instrument that provides a risk management tool for the all-in U.S. zinc price, the contract will help improve accuracy, transparency and hedging optimization for producers, consumers and intermediaries.

"As geopolitical fragmentation reshapes global supply chains, regional price signals matter more than ever," said Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group. "The U.S. zinc market increasingly moves to its own dynamics — driven by domestic policy and supply security — and our new futures contract addresses this gap by providing participants a precise tool to manage their exposure."

CME Group was the first to introduce regional products in industrial metals, steel and battery metals to allow clients to better tailor their hedging strategies. These contracts have become essential tools for industrial metals supply chains:

• Both U.S. and European Hot-Rolled Coil ("HRC") steel futures contracts are trading at record levels year-to-date, with U.S. HRC trading 1,483 contracts per day (29,660 short tons) and EU HRC trading 360 contracts (7,200 metric tons). 
• Copper futures were up 12% YoY in 1H 2026, averaging 107,000 contracts per day (1 million short tons). 
• Regional Aluminum Premium suite had a record year in 2025 with 864 contracts traded per day (21,600 metric tons).

The U.S. Zinc Futures contract is physically settled and listed by and subject to the rules of COMEX. For more information, please visit here.

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. 

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What did CME Group (CME) announce about U.S. Zinc Futures on August 25, 2026?

CME Group announced the first trades of its updated U.S. Zinc Futures on CME Globex. According to CME Group, Glencore and Trafigura executed the initial screen trades on August 20, 2026, for September delivery, marking the contract’s transition to active use.

When were the first U.S. Zinc Futures trades executed on CME Globex and who were the counterparties?

The first U.S. Zinc Futures trades were executed on August 20, 2026, for September delivery. According to CME Group, the trades occurred on CME Globex between Glencore and Trafigura, demonstrating early commercial participation in the new U.S. zinc pricing instrument.

How did CME Group change its zinc futures contract in 2026 and why does it matter for CME investors?

CME Group updated its zinc contract to a U.S. duty-paid structure in March 2026. According to CME Group, this aligns futures with all-in U.S. zinc pricing, aiming to enhance accuracy, transparency and hedging optimization for producers, consumers and intermediaries in the domestic market.

Is the new CME Group U.S. Zinc Futures contract physically settled and under which exchange rules?

Yes, the U.S. Zinc Futures contract is physically settled. According to CME Group, the contract is listed by, and subject to the rules of, COMEX, integrating it into the company’s established metals exchange and central clearing framework for industrial participants.

What trading volume benchmarks in metals did CME Group highlight alongside the U.S. Zinc Futures launch?

CME Group highlighted record year-to-date trading in U.S. and European Hot-Rolled Coil steel futures. According to CME Group, U.S. HRC averaged 1,483 contracts per day and EU HRC 360, while copper futures rose 12% year-over-year in 1H 2026, averaging 107,000 contracts daily.