Since the addition of WTI Midland to the Dated Brent Index a year ago, WTI has influenced the Index price 60% of the time. This shift has exposed international Crude Oil markets to U.S. priced WTI crude oil, emphasizing the need to manage WTI price exposure.

Combined with current heightened geopolitical tensions, this change has turned market participants to WTI Crude Oil futures and options, which experienced double-digit growth this June, WTI (CL) futures +11% and WTI (LO) options +19% year-on-year.

WTI-Brent Financial (BK) futures are experiencing increased participation, too, with June average daily volume (ADV) at 31K contracts, the highest monthly volume since 2019, and year-to-date (YTD) 2024 volume up 54% year-on-year.

June open interest (OI) for WTI Houston (HTT) and WTI Midland (WTT) futures, which offer the best liquidity for WTI-Midland grade crude oil, hasn't found a ceiling topping 686K contracts.

The addition of Tuesday and Thursday expirations on WTI Crude Oil options will round out our suite of highly liquid Monday, Wednesday and Friday expirations, and Monthly options, offering the most precise tools to hedge short-term price risk, no matter when volatility occurs. 

WTI Crude Oil Weekly options reached new heights in Q2 2024, with open interest (OI) at 39.5K contracts daily and average daily volume (ADV) at over 20K contracts.

*Pending regulatory review

Last year, and continuing through H1 2024, the U.S. has exported record levels of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and Asia, increasing the need to hedge LNG costs across the globe and pushing market participation in Henry Hub Natural Gas (NG) futures to record highs this year, with ADV reaching 565K contracts. Specifically, Henry Hub Natural Gas futures volume during non-U.S. hours is up 61% YoY to 57K contracts per day in 2024.

This change in market dynamics, combined with supply concerns and weather, has driven the suite of Henry Hub Natural Gas futures and options to a combined ADV of 825K contracts this June.

Heat waves across the U.S. has fueled volatility in natural gas prices, driving Henry Hub (LN) options to an unparalleled ADV of 244K contracts.

CME Group has the most liquid on-screen Natural Gas options market, trading 150K contracts daily, an increase of 120% YoY.

CME Group has partnered with TrendSpider to bring a new dynamic and modern charting experience to the CME Direct platform. TrendSpider is designed to make charting and analysis more fluid and effective, so you can quickly make trading and risk management decisions. The new functionality includes multi-time frame analysis, the use of over 200 indicators, the ability to perform one-click automated technical analysis and detect hundreds of candlestick chart patterns in real-time.

Watch our webinar to see the full breadth of TrendSpider's charting functionality, including a live demo within CME Direct.

New financially-settled RINs futures and options and California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) futures now available for trading. 

These newly listed futures and options expand CME Group's evolving biofuels offering while also complementing our suite of Refined Products. D4 Biodiesel and D6 Ethanol RINs futures and average price options, based on OPIS price assessments, offer market participants cost-effective ways to manage risk associated with volatility in RINs prices.  LCFS futures, also based on an OPIS assessment, provide traders the ability to manage exposure to California LCFS credit markets.

Biofuels will likely play an important role in decarbonizing sectors like aviation and shipping. While a variety of biofuel products exist, ethanol in particular is uniquely poised to meet growing demand.

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