CBOE Volumes Up In April
The average daily volume of the CBOE in April 2010 was up 6 percent over the previous year and jumped 17 percent from the preceding month, with a total monthly volume of 111.4 million contracts traded.
Although the ADV for ETF options was up just 8 percent from the preceding year, index options saw their ADV jump a startling 36 percent from April 2009. Total volume for the month was 25 million contracts for ETF options and 24 million for index options.
In terms of index and ETF options, the five most actively traded contracts in April were options on the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500, the CBOE Volatility Index, the PowerShares QQQ Trust and the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund.
S&P 500 Dividend Options Debut
So far this year, the CBOE has launched two options contracts tracking the dividend risk of the S&P 500, each targeting a different accrual period (annual or quarterly).
Most recently, on May 25, it rolled out options on the S&P 500 Annual Dividend Index, with initial expirations of December 2010 and 2011. The contracts are targeted at investors who want to look at dividend movement over the course of the entire year. Earlier, in March, the exchange debuted options on the S&P Quarterly Dividend Index.
The underlying indexes of the contracts track the ordinary cash dividends of the components of the S&P 500.
Nasdaq OMX Launches Internet Options
In late May, Nasdaq OMX Group rolled out options on the Nasdaq Internet Index on its Nasdaq OMX PHLX subsidiary.
The underlying index tracks a broad spectrum of U.S.-listed companies that operate Internet-related businesses. Its component list covers such well-known names as Amazon.com, Google, AOL, eBay and Yahoo. |
