CME Group Reaches New Record in Metals Futures and Options

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NYSE:CME) said its metals complex set a new single-day record of 3,338,528 contracts on January 26, 2026, an 18% increase versus the prior daily record of 2,829,666 on October 17, 2025. The record was driven by strong demand in precious metals, led by a Micro Silver futures daily volume record of 715,111 contracts and record open interest of 35,702 contracts. It was also a top-five trading day for Silver futures, Micro Gold futures and 1-Ounce Gold futures. CME Group plans to launch 100-Ounce Silver futures on February 9, 2026, pending regulatory review.

Positive

• Metals volume single-day record: 3,338,528 contracts (+18%)
• Micro Silver daily volume record: 715,111 contracts
• Micro Silver record open interest: 35,702 contracts
• Top-five trading day for Silver, Micro Gold, 1-Ounce Gold
• Planned launch of 100-Ounce Silver futures on Feb 9, 2026 (pending review)

Negative

• Record trading occurred amid heightened volatility and price risk
• New 100-Ounce Silver futures are pending regulatory review, creating launch uncertainty

News Market Reaction

+0.15%

1 alert

+0.15% News Effect

On the day this news was published, CME gained 0.15%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Metals contracts record: 3,338,528 contracts Increase vs prior record: 18% Prior metals record: 2,829,666 contracts +4 more

7 metrics

Metals contracts record 3,338,528 contracts Single-day metals complex volume on January 26, 2026

Increase vs prior record 18% Growth over previous daily metals record

Prior metals record 2,829,666 contracts Previous daily metals record on October 17, 2025

Micro Silver volume 715,111 contracts Daily record volume for Micro Silver futures

Micro Silver open interest 35,702 contracts Record open interest for Micro Silver futures

Contract size 100-Ounce Planned 100-Ounce Silver futures contract

Launch date February 9, 2026 Planned launch of 100-Ounce Silver futures, pending review

Market Reality Check

Price: $289.06 Vol: Volume 1,710,644 is at 0....

normal vol

$289.06 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,710,644 is at 0.91x the 20-day average of 1,888,471, suggesting no pre-news volume spike. normal

Technical Shares trade above the 200-day MA at 272.44 and sit 2.32% below the 52-week high of 290.79, well above the 52-week low of 232.32.

Peers on Argus

CME gained 0.47% with peers also positive: ICE +1.1%, NDAQ +0.65%, SPGI +0.42%, ...

CME gained 0.47% with peers also positive: ICE +1.1%, NDAQ +0.65%, SPGI +0.42%, COIN +0.62%, MCO +0.17%, indicating a broader move across exchanges/data platforms alongside CME’s record metals volumes news.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Jan 21 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Jan 21	Natural gas record	Positive	-0.3%	New single-day record in natural gas contracts with 15% increase vs prior high.
Jan 15	ADV record update	Positive	-1.0%	Record-driven August 2024 ADV of 31.7M contracts across six asset classes.
Jan 15	Ag sentiment index	Negative	-1.0%	Ag Economy Barometer and related indices declined to multi-year lows.
Jan 15	Crypto futures launch	Positive	-1.0%	Planned launch of Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures expanding crypto suite.
Jan 13	Silver futures launch	Positive	+1.3%	Announcement of 100-Ounce Silver futures launch to address record retail demand.

Pattern Detected

Product expansion and record-volume announcements have often seen mixed or contrarian price reactions, while some contract launch news aligned with modest gains.

Recent Company History

Over recent months, CME has highlighted multiple volume and product milestones, including a natural gas complex record of 2,576,346 contracts on Jan 20, 2026 and strong August 2024 ADV of 31.7 million contracts across asset classes. It also expanded its crypto suite with ADA, LINK and Stellar futures launching on Feb 9, 2026, and introduced 100-Ounce Silver futures under COMEX rules. Price reactions to these operational positives have been mixed, with some record-volume days followed by small declines and the silver futures launch seeing a +1.31% move.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement underscores CME’s continued volume momentum, with its metals complex reaching a si...

Analysis

This announcement underscores CME’s continued volume momentum, with its metals complex reaching a single-day record of 3,338,528 contracts and Micro Silver futures setting fresh records in both volume and open interest. It follows earlier records in natural gas and crypto derivatives and complements the planned launch of 100-Ounce Silver futures on February 9, 2026. Investors may watch how sustained metals activity, new product uptake, and broader exchange-sector trends develop over time.

Key Terms

open interest, otc markets, central counterparty clearing

3 terms

open interest technical

"Micro Silver futures trading a daily record volume of 715,111 contracts and record open interest of 35,702"

Open interest is the total number of outstanding futures or options contracts that have been created but not yet closed or settled. Think of it like the number of active tickets in a queue — higher open interest means more traders are involved and the market is more liquid, which helps price moves be more reliable and shows the strength of investor interest or conviction in a trend.

otc markets technical

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

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, CME Clearing"

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.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced today announced that its metals complex reached a new single-day record of 3,338,528 contracts on January 26, up 18% from the previous daily record of 2,829,666 contracts on Friday, October 17, 2025.

"Amid ongoing macro-economic uncertainty, record volatility and heightened price risk, clients are turning to our markets to hedge and adjust precious metals exposure to meet their trading goals," said Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group. "Our expanding range of precious metal contracts provide clients of all sizes efficient access to right-sized risk management tools."

Growing demand for CME Group's precious metals contracts drove the record trading day, with Micro Silver futures trading a daily record volume of 715,111 contracts and record open interest of 35,702 contracts. It was also a top five trading day for Silver futures, Micro Gold futures and 1-Ounce Gold futures. 

CME Group recently announced that it will launch 100-Ounce Silver futures to meet record retail demand on February 9, 2026, pending regulatory review. For more information, please visit https://www.cmegroup.com/100-oz-silver.

CME Group's metals complex is listed on and subject to the rules of COMEX. For more information, please visit www.cmegroup.com/metals

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

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cme-group-reaches-new-record-in-metals-futures-and-options-302671433.html

SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What record did CME (CME) set on January 26, 2026 in metals futures and options?

CME reported a single-day metals trading record of 3,338,528 contracts on January 26, 2026, up 18% from the prior record.

How large was Micro Silver volume and open interest on CME's record day?

Micro Silver traded a daily record volume of 715,111 contracts with record open interest of 35,702 contracts.

When will CME launch 100-Ounce Silver futures (CME) and what is the status?

CME plans to launch 100-Ounce Silver futures on February 9, 2026, subject to regulatory review.

What does the record metals day mean for CME shareholders (CME)?

Higher metals volumes can boost trading and clearing revenues; the release highlights increased client demand and activity in precious metals markets.

Which other metals products recorded heavy trading on CME's record day?

The day ranked among the top five trading sessions for Silver futures, Micro Gold futures and 1-Ounce Gold futures.