A new calendar month record was set for the month of May in total exchange futures of 539,710 contracts, breaking the previous May record of 425,682 contracts in 2006 by 21%. This marked the 11th time in the last 12 months that a new record had been set for total exchange volume in a calendar month. Total exchange volume was 75.1% greater than May of 2010.
In addition, HRW wheat futures trading volume set a new calendar month record for the month of May. A total of 517,416 contracts were traded in May, marking the 12th consecutive month this has occurred. The previous monthly record for May was 365,497 contracts, with the new record a 29.4% increase. Volume was 70% greater than May of 2010.
Year-to-date trading volume continued to post substantial gains over 2010 trading volume, a year in which new annual volume records were set. Total exchange trading volume is running 87.4% higher than last year, with HRW wheat futures volume running 82.9% ahead.
Wheat options trading volume in May was over five times than that of last May. Year-to-date volume was over four times of that traded last year, while open interest was up 81.9% over the same time period.