CME Group to Launch Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Weekly Options

The new weekly options contracts aim to complement the existing Friday Weeklies, End-of-Month and Quarterly options on Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 futures.

January 17, 2023 - CME Group, a derivatives marketplace, announced it will expand its suite of weekly options expiries for its Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 futures with the launch of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Weekly options on February 13, pending regulatory review. 

"Micro E-mini Equity Index futures and options have become among the most actively traded equity index products at CME Group, achieving a combined record volume increase in 2022 of more than 50% year-over-year," said Paul Woolman, Executive Director of Equity Products at CME Group.

"As demand for additional short-dated equity options continues to grow, we are building on our longstanding partnership with Nasdaq and S&P Dow Jones Indices to allow our clients to take advantage of our deeply liquid underlying futures markets to hedge or trade with enhanced flexibility and precision."

With more than 6.6 million combined contracts traded to date there is interest and trading activity around Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 options.

The expansion of the weekly options aims to build on the liquidity established in Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 futures, which both had record average daily volume (ADV) years in 2022:

• Record Micro E-Mini Nasdaq-100 futures ADV of 1,453,985 contracts
• Record Micro E-Mini S&P 500 futures ADV of 1,370,415 contracts

"Nasdaq is excited to enhance our partnership with CME Group and provide access to the world's most innovative companies via the Nasdaq-100," said Cameron Lilja, Vice President and Global Head of Index Product and Operations at Nasdaq. "The Nasdaq-100 represents one of the world's preeminent large-cap growth indexes, and the expansion of our suite of options supports the investment community with more versatile tools as investors look to manage risk and meet investment objectives."

"S&P Dow Jones Indices is committed to strengthening market transparency through the utilization and liquid ecosystem of its independent and rules-based indices such as the S&P 500," said Tim Brennan, Head of Capital Markets at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "By CME Group offering additional expirations based on this iconic and historic benchmark, market participants will have more index-related insights on risks, returns and opportunities in the U.S. equity markets."e