SFE Trading Volume Up 5.1% In 2000

18 January 2001

Trading volume at the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE) rose 5.1% in the calendar year 2000 to 31,299,021 futures and options contracts – the second highest annual volume in SFE’s 40-year history.

The nominal value of total contracts traded last year amounted to A$10.25 trillion, a rise of 5.5% on 1999, with an average of 123,712 futures and options contracts traded each day.

SFE’s two most heavily traded products, 3-Year Bonds and 90-Day Bank Bills, led the growth in volume. 3-Year Bond futures rose 15% to 12,372,147 contracts traded, a record annual volume, and 90-Day Bank Bill futures grew by 7% with 7,700,381 contracts traded.

Trading in 3-Year Bond Overnight Options also reached a record level with 477,192 contracts being exchanged, 119% up on 1999.

The combined trading volumes of SPI® and SPI200 futures amounted to 3,824,860 contracts, marginally down on 1999. However the nominal value of total SPI® and SPI200 trading rose 8% in 2000 to A$306.7 billion.

SFE’s wholly owned subsidiary, the New Zealand Futures and Options Exchange (NZFOE), also experienced trading growth last year. A total of 882,798 futures and options were traded, up 2.4% on 1999, at a daily average of 3,517 contracts. All trades are conducted electronically via SFE’s SYCOM® system and cleared by SFE’s clearing house. NZFOE has been a subsidiary of SFE since 1992.

Last year was SFE’s first complete year of operation as a fully electronic exchange. 2000 was also the year in which SFE demutualised, listed its shares on the Austock-conducted exempt market and merged its clearing house with Austraclear.

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