CME Group Sets New Record in Natural Gas Futures and Options

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) announced that its natural gas complex set a new single-day trading record of 2,576,346 contracts on January 20, 2026, a 15% increase versus the prior daily record of 2,239,081 contracts on November 14, 2018.

Additional records: Henry Hub options traded 811,662 contracts (up 28%) and Dutch TTF options traded 35,480 contracts (up 202%). Management linked the surge to increased U.S. heating demand and higher client use of natural gas markets to hedge price risk.

Positive

• Single-day volume record: 2,576,346 contracts (Jan 20, 2026)
• Volume gain of 15% vs prior record day (Nov 14, 2018)
• Henry Hub options record: 811,662 contracts (+28%)
• Dutch TTF options record: 35,480 contracts (+202%)

Negative

• None.

News Market Reaction

-0.30%

1 alert

-0.30% News Effect

On the day this news was published, CME declined 0.30%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Natural gas complex volume: 2,576,346 contracts Prior daily record: 2,239,081 contracts Natural gas record growth: 15% +4 more

7 metrics

Natural gas complex volume 2,576,346 contracts Single-day record on January 20, 2026

Prior daily record 2,239,081 contracts Previous record set November 14, 2018

Natural gas record growth 15% Increase vs prior daily record

Henry Hub options volume 811,662 contracts Single-day record for Henry Hub options

Henry Hub record growth 28% Increase vs prior Henry Hub options record

Dutch TTF options volume 35,480 contracts Single-day record for Dutch TTF options

Dutch TTF record growth 202% Increase vs prior Dutch TTF options record

Market Reality Check

Price: $302.48 Vol: Volume 2,474,030 is 1.33x...

normal vol

$302.48 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,474,030 is 1.33x the 20-day average of 1,854,055, indicating elevated interest ahead of the record natural gas announcement. normal

Technical Shares trade above the 200-day MA (279.91 vs 271.95) and sit 3.74% below the 52-week high of 290.79.

Peers on Argus

CME gained 0.15% while key peers like SPGI (-3.59%), MCO (-2.19%), NDAQ (-1.61%)...

CME gained 0.15% while key peers like SPGI (-3.59%), MCO (-2.19%), NDAQ (-1.61%), COIN (-2.11%) and ICE (-0.03%) declined, pointing to a stock-specific reaction to CME’s volume records rather than a sector-wide move.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Jan 15 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Jan 15	Record ADV update	Positive	-1.0%	Record August ADV across multiple asset classes and U.S. Treasuries.
Jan 15	Ag sentiment index	Negative	-1.0%	Purdue/CME Ag Economy Barometer and related indices declined sharply.
Jan 15	Crypto futures launch	Positive	-1.0%	Planned launch of ADA, LINK and Stellar futures expanding crypto suite.
Jan 13	New silver futures	Positive	+1.3%	Announcement of 100-Ounce Silver futures to meet strong retail demand.
Jan 08	Intl ADV record	Positive	-0.1%	Record 2025 international ADV and strong growth in Metals and Energy.

Pattern Detected

CME frequently reports record volumes and product launches, but price reactions have often been muted or slightly negative, with only occasional upside alignment on positive product news.

Recent Company History

Recent CME news has focused on record trading activity and product expansion. On Jan 8, international ADV hit a record 8.4M contracts, yet the stock slipped slightly. A new 100-Ounce Silver futures contract announced on Jan 13 coincided with a 1.31% gain, showing product launches can support the share price. Subsequent crypto futures expansion and record August ADV on Jan 15 saw shares down 0.96%. Today’s natural gas volume records extend this high-activity trajectory across asset classes.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights new single-day records across CME’s natural gas complex, including 2,57...

Analysis

This announcement highlights new single-day records across CME’s natural gas complex, including 2,576,346 total contracts, 811,662 Henry Hub options, and 35,480 Dutch TTF options. It extends a recent pattern of record ADV and product strength in metals, crypto, and international markets. With shares trading above the 200-day MA and close to the 52-week high, investors may watch whether sustained volume growth in energy derivatives supports longer-term revenue trends alongside existing strengths in other asset classes.

Key Terms

otc markets, central counterparty clearing

2 terms

otc markets financial

"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 regulatory

"it 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. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced that its natural gas complex reached a new single-day record of 2,576,346 contracts traded on January 20, up 15% from the previous daily record of 2,239,081 contracts traded on November 14, 2018.

"As demand for heating increases across the U.S., clients are turning to our natural gas markets in record numbers to manage their price risk," said Peter Keavey, Global Head of Energy and Environmental Products at CME Group. "We continue to focus on providing market participants with the on screen deep liquidity they need to hedge their positions effectively in any environment."

Other records achieved across the company's natural gas products included Henry Hub options, which traded 811,662 contracts, up 28% from the previous record. Dutch TTF options volume also reached a record 35,480 contracts, up 202% from the previous record.

For more information on CME Group Natural Gas futures and options, 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. 

CME-G

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cme-group-sets-new-record-in-natural-gas-futures-and-options-302667199.html

SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What record did CME Group (CME) set in natural gas trading on January 20, 2026?

CME Group reported a single-day record of 2,576,346 natural gas contracts traded on January 20, 2026.

How much did CME natural gas volume increase versus the previous record day (CME)?

Natural gas volume was 15% higher than the prior daily record of 2,239,081 contracts from November 14, 2018.

What Henry Hub options volume record did CME (CME) report and how large was the rise?

Henry Hub options traded 811,662 contracts, an increase of 28% versus its previous record.

What was the Dutch TTF options record at CME and its percentage increase?

Dutch TTF options reached 35,480 contracts, up 202% from the prior record.

Why did CME Group attribute the natural gas volume surge on Jan 20, 2026?

Management linked the surge to increased U.S. heating demand and greater client use of natural gas markets to hedge price risk.

Where can investors find more information about CME Group natural gas futures and options?

Investors can find additional details on CME Group's website and product pages for natural gas futures and options.