CME Group, which claims to be the most diverse derivatives marketplace, has launched Micro Ether futures, further “expanding its suite of cryptocurrency derivatives offerings, and marking its second micro cryptocurrency product this year.”
Tim McCourt, CME Group Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products, stated:
“The launch of Micro Ether futures underscores the significant growth and liquidity we have seen in our cryptocurrency futures and options. Sized at one-tenth of one Ether, Micro Ether futures will provide an efficient, cost-effective way for a range of market participants – from institutions to sophisticated, active, individual traders – to hedge their spot Ether price risk or more nimbly execute Ether trading strategies, all while retaining the features and benefits of CME Group’s larger-sized Ether futures.”
Steve Sanders, EVP of Marketing and Product Development at Interactive Brokers, remarked:
“The range of futures products that CME Group offers enable our active trader and institutional investor clients to take advantage of trading opportunities while minimizing price risk across markets. As investor demand for digital assets continues to grow, we are pleased to now offer our clients access to Micro Ether futures as a cost-effective, efficient and transparent way to access cryptocurrency and manage Ether exposure.”
Bob Fitzsimmons, EVP at Wedbush Securities, said:
“Wedbush continues to support the evolution of cryptocurrency derivatives. Micro Ether futures is a timely example of CME Group providing product to the new retail market participants we have witnessed this past year, while also providing institutional asset managers more tools to track performance.”
John Bartleman, CEO and President of TradeStation Group, Inc., noted:
“TradeStation is proud to support the launch of CME’s new Micro Ether futures, as it lowers the barrier of entry and provides traders increased exposure to Ether. The demand for micro contracts and Ether only continues to grow, so offering this futures product to our customers from day one was a given.”
Brooks Dudley, ED&F Man Capital Markets Global Head of Digital Assets, commented:
“As a firm at the forefront of providing traders with access to innovative products in alternative asset classes, we are delighted that CME Group is expanding its derivatives offering with the launch of Micro Ether futures. We have seen huge appetite for cost-efficient, regulated products such as these micro-sized contracts and expect they will attract strong demand.”
CME Micro Ether futures are cash-settled, “based on the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate, which serves as a once-a-day reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of Ether” and Micro Ether futures are “listed on and subject to the rules of CME,” the update noted.
For additional information on this product, visit: www.cmegroup.com/microether.
As covered, CME Group “enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities.”
CME Group exchanges “offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals.”
The company offers futures and options on futures trading “through the CME Globex® platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.” In addition, it “operates one of the world’s leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.”