CHICAGO, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CME Group, the world's largest and most diverse derivatives exchange, today announced that April volume averaged 9.2 million contracts per day, down 23 percent from April 2008. Total volume was 193 million contracts for April, of which 80 percent was traded electronically. Electronic volume averaged 7.3 million contracts per day, down 20 percent from the prior April.
CME Group E-mini equity index volume averaged 2.9 million contracts per day, up 18 percent compared with April 2008. Equity standard volume averaged 102,000 contracts per day, down 20 percent compared with the same period last year. CME Group commodities and alternative investments volume averaged 801,000 contracts per day, down 15 percent from April 2008, but up 28 percent sequentially. CME Group foreign exchange (FX) contracts volume averaged 451,000 contracts per day, with notional value of approximately $52 billion, down 26 percent. CME Group interest rate volume averaged 3.3 million contracts per day, down 45 percent compared with the same period in 2008.
Total NYMEX volume averaged 1.6 million contracts for April 2009, down 9 percent compared with the same period last year. Monthly NYMEX energy futures and options volume averaged 826,000 contracts per day, down 18 percent from April 2008. COMEX metals volume averaged 152,000 contracts per day for April 2009, down 26 percent. Average daily volume cleared through CME ClearPort was 533,000 contracts for April 2009, up 24 percent compared with April 2008, as users continue to seek the safety and soundness of CME Group's regulated, centrally cleared markets. The remaining NYMEX volume of 47,000 trades per day consisted of other transactions, which include position transfers and exchanges.