CME Group Stock Price, News & Analysis

CME Group has announced the launch of options on Bitcoin Friday futures on February 24, 2025, pending regulatory review. These will be CME's first financially-settled cryptocurrency options with daily expiries Monday through Friday.

The new options complement CME's existing physically-settled options suite and build upon the success of Bitcoin Friday futures, which has traded over 775,000 contracts since its September 29 launch, with an average daily volume of 9,700 contracts. Notably, 44% of contracts are traded during non-U.S. hours.

Industry leaders from FalconX and Galaxy have praised the introduction, highlighting the products' importance for risk management and hedging in the cryptocurrency market. The new options are designed to provide traders with greater precision in managing short-term bitcoin price risk through a capital-efficient toolset.

CME Group and Robinhood have announced the launch of CME's futures products on the Robinhood mobile app. Over the coming weeks, eligible U.S. customers will gain access to futures across five major asset classes, including:

• Four leading U.S. equity indices (S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Russell 2000, Dow Jones)
• Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin and Ether)
• Major FX currency pairs
• Metals (gold, silver, copper)
• Commodities (crude oil, natural gas)

Robinhood is introducing a new mobile trading ladder built from scratch, promising efficient trading capabilities with competitive fees. Both companies are providing educational resources, including CME Institute, Futures Fundamentals, Robinhood Learn, and YouTube videos to support traders in making informed decisions.

CME Group achieved record international average daily volume (ADV) of 7.8 million contracts in 2024, marking a 14% increase from 2023. The growth was driven by significant increases across multiple product categories: Energy (31%), Metals (27%), Agricultural (25%), Interest Rate (12%), and Foreign Exchange (10%).

Regional performance highlights include: EMEA reaching record 5.8 million contracts (up 17%), APAC hitting all-time high of 1.7 million contracts (up 7%), and Canada achieving record 164,000 contracts. Globally, CME Group reported a record ADV of 26.5 million contracts in 2024, up 9% over 2023, with Interest Rate ADV leading at 13.7 million contracts (up 10%).

CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, has announced plans to launch physically-delivered Hard Red Spring Wheat futures and options in early Q2 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The new offering will enable market participants to manage price risk across all major wheat types on a single exchange with unified clearing.

The physically-delivered contract will feature enhanced specifications and shipping certificate delivery, maximizing flexibility for commercial participants. This expansion comes as CME Group's Wheat futures and options trading volumes saw a 10% increase last year, reaching an Average Daily Volume (ADV) of 229,000, contributing to a record ADV of 1.7 million across all CME Group agricultural products.

The new Hard Red Spring Wheat futures and options will be listed by and subject to the rules of CBOT, offering additional risk management tools and spread capabilities for clients in the wheat market.

Farmer sentiment declined in December as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped 9 points to 136. The Index of Current Conditions fell 13 points to 100, while the Index of Future Expectations decreased 8 points to 153. Despite the decline, both indices remain significantly above their September lows.

The percentage of producers expecting good times in U.S. agriculture over the next five years increased to 57%, showing optimism about future conditions. However, 57% of producers reported worse farm financial conditions compared to last year. The Farm Capital Investment Index decreased 7 points to 48, with only 17% of farmers believing it's a good time to invest.

Trade concerns persist, with 43% of farmers identifying trade policy as their most important concern. 48% believe a trade war affecting agricultural exports is likely or very likely, up from 42% in November. Farmers' optimism appears largely driven by expectations of favorable policy changes following the 2024 election, particularly regarding environmental, estate, and income tax policies.

CME Group has announced it will release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings report before market opening on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Written highlights will be posted on the company's website at 6:00 a.m. Central Time, concurrent with the earnings press release.

The company will host an investor conference call at 7:30 a.m. Central Time, where executives will address analysts' questions. Investors can access the call via telephone by dialing 877-918-3040 (US) or +1 312-470-7282 (international) using participant code 1944793. A live audio webcast will be available on the Investor Relations section of CME's website, with an archived recording accessible afterward.

CME Group reported record average daily volume (ADV) of 26.5 million contracts in 2024, marking a 9% increase from 2023. Growth was observed across all six asset classes, with notable achievements including:

- Interest Rate ADV up 10% to 13.7M contracts
- Equity Index ADV up 2% to 6.8M contracts
- Energy ADV up 17% to 2.5M contracts
- Agricultural ADV up 13% to 1.7M contracts
- Foreign Exchange ADV up 8% to 1M contracts
- Metals ADV up 23% to 736,000 contracts

Particularly strong performance was seen in cryptocurrency trading, with a 203% increase to 117,000 contracts ($6.8B notional). International ADV reached a record 7.8M contracts, up 14%. The company's Q4 ADV was 25.5M contracts, while December ADV reached 22.3M contracts.

CME Group has announced modified trading hours for January 9, 2025, in observance of the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. U.S. equity markets will close at 8:30 a.m. CT, with equity options expiring on January 9 moved to January 8. Interest rates and agricultural markets will close at 12:15 p.m. CT. BrokerTec U.S. Repo and Treasury products will close at 2:30 p.m. CT and 1:30 p.m. CT respectively.

Cryptocurrency, energy, foreign exchange, and metals markets, along with EBS platform products, will maintain normal trading hours. All CME Globex products will resume regular trading schedules on January 9 for the January 10 trade date.

CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, has announced its 2025 annual meeting of shareholders will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. The company operates through various platforms including CME Globex for futures and options trading, BrokerTec for fixed income trading, and EBS for foreign exchange trading. CME Group also provides central counterparty clearing services through CME Clearing and offers a comprehensive range of global benchmark products across major asset classes including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products, and metals.