Intercontinental Exchange Reports March and First Quarter 2026 Statistics

Rhea-AI Impact

(Moderate)

Rhea-AI Sentiment

(Very Positive)

Key Terms

average daily volume technical

Average daily volume is the typical number of shares or contracts of a security traded each day, calculated by averaging daily trading amounts over a recent period. It matters to investors because it indicates how easy it is to buy or sell without moving the price—like traffic on a road: high volume is a busy freeway that lets many cars pass smoothly, while low volume can make large orders cause big price changes and higher costs.

open interest technical

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.

gaap operating expenses financial

GAAP operating expenses are the costs a company incurs through its normal business activities to keep operations running. These include wages, rent, utilities, and other day-to-day expenses. They matter to investors because they show how efficiently a company manages its core activities and helps determine its profitability.

non-gaap adjusted operating expenses financial

Operating expenses reported on a company’s own terms after removing certain items the company considers unusual, one‑time, or not part of regular operations — for example stock‑based pay, restructuring charges, or litigation costs. Investors use this adjusted figure like peeling away one‑off charges to see the company’s regular ‘monthly bills,’ but it is not standardized, so investors should review what was removed and the company’s supporting details to judge how meaningful the adjustment is.

euribor financial

Euribor is the benchmark interest rate at which banks in the eurozone lend short-term money to one another and is published for several maturities (overnight to one year). Investors watch it because it forms the baseline for many loans, mortgages, bonds and derivatives—like the temperature reading that helps predict how hot borrowing costs and returns will be across the market.

sonia financial

SONIA is the Sterling Overnight Index Average, the market benchmark that reflects the average interest rate banks pay to borrow British pounds overnight. Think of it like the overnight hotel rate for cash: it shows the short‑term cost of money and is used as a reference price for loans, bonds and interest-rate contracts, so movements in SONIA affect borrowing costs, contract values and investor returns.

gilts financial

Gilts are bonds issued by the UK government — essentially government IOUs that promise to pay regular interest and return the original amount at a set date. Investors care because gilts are seen as low-risk anchors that help measure market interest rates, influence borrowing costs across the economy, and provide a predictable stream of income and a safe place to park cash during market uncertainty, much like a conservative savings option for a portfolio.

04/06/2026 - 08:30 AM

March 2026 sets record ADV across Commodities, Energy, Oil, and Interest Rates

ICE achieves highest monthly volume on record with 428.9M contracts—over 70% higher than the previous record set in January 2026

ATLANTA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), one of the world’s leading providers of financial market technology and data powering global capital markets, today reported March 2026 trading volume and related revenue statistics, which can be viewed on the company’s investor relations website at https://ir.theice.com/ir-resources/supplemental-information in the Monthly Statistics Tracking spreadsheet.

“Q1 was a record quarter for ICE, with record performance across our energy and financial markets, including benchmark contracts that saw their highest volume days in ICE’s history,” said Ben Jackson, President of ICE. “As customers manage risk in a rapidly changing environment, trust, liquidity, and resilient exchange and clearing infrastructure are paramount. ICE’s continued investment in technology and market breadth delivers reliable liquidity and trusted pricing in all conditions—giving customers precise tools to manage risk across global energy markets and evolving inflation and interest rate dynamics, and reinforcing ICE as the destination for liquidity across major markets.”

March highlights include:

Record total average daily volume (ADV) up 88% y/y; open interest (OI) up 22% y/y, including record OI of 125.4M lots on March 12
Record total Energy ADV up 57% y/y; OI up 7% y/y, including record OI of 72.7M lots on March 25
- Record total Oil ADV up 85% y/y; OI up 16% y/y, including record OI of 19.8M lots on March 25
  - Record Brent ADV up 122% y/y; OI up 24% y/y, including record OI of 8.3M lots on March 25
  - WTI* ADV up 34% y/y; OI up 5% y/y, including record OI of 1.8M lots on March 16
  - Record Gasoil ADV up 67% y/y; OI up 7% y/y, including record options OI of 388k lots on March 31
  - Record Other Crude & Refined products ADV up 55% y/y; OI up 14% y/y, including record OI of 8.7M lots on March 30
- Total Natural Gas ADV up 27% y/y; OI up 4% y/y, including record OI of 46.6M lots on March 25
  - North American Gas ADV up 6%; OI up 3% y/y, including record OI of 40.1M lots on March 25
  - TTF gas ADV up 92% y/y; OI up 3% y/y
  - Asia gas ADV up 95% y/y; OI up 39% y/y, including record OI of 250k lots on March 12
- Total Environmentals ADV up 5% y/y; OI up 2% y/y
Total Agriculture & Metals ADV up 54% y/y; OI up 22% y/y
- Sugar ADV up 67% y/y; OI up 13% y/y
- Cocoa ADV up 50% y/y; OI up 40% y/y
- Coffee ADV up 27% y/y; OI up 12% y/y
- Cotton ADV up 68% y/y; OI up 28% y/y
Record total Financials ADV up 124% y/y; OI up 53% y/y, including record futures OI of 16.7M lots on March 13
- Record total Interest Rates ADV up 140% y/y; OI up 60% y/y, including record OI of 47.3M lots on March 12
  - Record Euribor ADV up 106% y/y; OI up 38% y/y
  - Record SONIA ADV up 255% y/y; OI up 102% y/y, including record OI of 18.0M lots on March 5
  - Gilts ADV up 34% y/y; OI up 6% y/y
- Total Equity Indices ADV up 18%
  - MSCI ADV up 23% y/y; OI up 3% y/y
NYSE Cash Equities ADV up 36% y/y
NYSE Equity Options ADV up 31% y/y

First quarter highlights include:

Record total ADV up 45% y/y
Record total Energy ADV up 32% y/y
- Record Oil ADV up 41% y/y
  - Record Brent ADV up 60% y/y
  - WTI* ADV up 16% y/y
  - Record Gasoil ADV up 25% y/y
  - Record Other Crude & Refined products ADV up 29% y/y
- Record Natural Gas ADV up 21% y/y
  - North American Gas ADV up 6% y/y, including record options of 697k lots
  - Record TTF Gas ADV up 61% y/y
  - Record Asia Gas ADV up 70% y/y
- Record total Environmentals ADV up 30% y/y
Record total Agriculture & Metals ADV up 29% y/y
- Sugar ADV up 22% y/y
- Coffee ADV up 12% y/y
- Cocoa ADV up 66% y/y
- Record Cotton ADV up 46% y/y
Record total Financials ADV up 65% y/y
- Record total Interest Rates ADV up 70% y/y
  - Record Euribor ADV up 44% y/y
  - Record SONIA ADV up 124% y/y
  - Record Gilts ADV up 27% y/y
- Total Equity Indices ADV up 17% y/y
  - MSCI ADV up 26% y/y
NYSE Cash Equities ADV up 39% y/y
NYSE Equity Options ADV up 23% y/y

* Combined OI and volumes of WTI and ICE HOU

Updated Expense Guidance

ICE expects 1Q26 GAAP operating expenses to be in the range of $1.280 billion to $1.290 billion. Non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses⁽¹⁾ for 1Q26 are expected to be in the range of $1.030 billion to $1.040 billion. Full year GAAP operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $5.095 billion to $5.145 billion. Full year non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses⁽¹⁾ are expected to be in the range of $4.145 billion to $4.195 billion. Revised adjusted expense guidance is driven by strong revenues related to robust trading volumes, with the incremental expense expected to be more than offset by the related revenues.

(1)

1Q26 and FY 2026 non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses exclude integration expenses and amortization of acquisition-related intangibles.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) is a Fortune 500 company that designs, builds, and operates digital networks that connect people to opportunity. We provide financial technology and data services across major asset classes helping our customers access mission-critical workflow tools that increase transparency and efficiency. ICE’s futures, equity, and options exchanges -- including the New York Stock Exchange -- and clearing houses help people invest, raise capital and manage risk. We offer some of the world’s largest markets to trade and clear energy and environmental products. Our fixed income, data services and execution capabilities provide information, analytics and platforms that help our customers streamline processes and capitalize on opportunities. At ICE Mortgage Technology, we are transforming U.S. housing finance, from initial consumer engagement through loan production, closing, registration and the long-term servicing relationship. Together, ICE transforms, streamlines, and automates industries to connect our customers to opportunity.

Trademarks of ICE and/or its affiliates include Intercontinental Exchange, ICE, ICE block design, NYSE and New York Stock Exchange. Information regarding additional trademarks and intellectual property rights of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. and/or its affiliates is located here. Key Information Documents for certain products covered by the EU Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products Regulation can be accessed on the relevant exchange website under the heading “Key Information Documents (KIDS).”

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- Statements in this press release regarding ICE's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see ICE's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors in ICE's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as filed with the SEC on February 5, 2026.

Category: Corporate

SOURCE: Intercontinental Exchange

ICE-CORP