US Commodity Exchanges had a strong year.

[monte]

Strong year for U.S. commodity exchanges

The CME Group, Kansas City Board of Trade, and Minneapolis Grain Exchange all had very strong years, reflecting the increased interest in agricultural commodity investment.

According to statements from the exchanges, that includes a new all time high daily volume average at the CME Group at 13.4 million contracts, and a new annual volume record of 6,582,673 contracts in Kansas City, while Minneapolis saw its second best all time annual volume at 1,775,646 contracts combined for futures and options, with futures accounting for 1,732,331 contracts.

The CME Group includes both the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the KCBT is the home of hard red winter wheat, and Minneapolis specializes in hard red spring wheat.

I am not sure how ICE in Winnipeg did for volume. They should be happy about the CWB changes.

I know CME had to put in some guarantees against the MF Global bankruptcy so their bottom line likely is not as rosy as it might have been.

[MoeAgostino]

MF Global and EU Crisis reduce trading volume.

(Reuters) - CME Group (CME.O) and IntercontinentalExchange (ICE.N) said on Wednesday that trading volume dropped last month, which analysts attributed to MF Global's collapse and Europe's debt crisis chilling trading in U.S. futures markets.

[URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-cme-ice-volume-idUSTRE8031X920120104"] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-cme-ice-volume-idUSTRE8031X920120104[/URL]


This reduction in trading and liquidity hurts the agriculture commodity markets as well.

Moe Agostino
Sr Commodity Strategist
Farms.com Risk Management