HKEX reports August volumes up a fifth led by tech, options

The main Hong Kong futures and options market reported on Thursday average daily volume up 21.2% last month to a total of 1.59 million contracts.

The Asian exchange’s futures book was up 5.25% on August last year to a daily average of 627,000 lots while HKEX’s options market reported daily volumes up 34.5% to 962,000 contracts.

The stand-out performer in futures was the HKEX Hang Seng Tech index future which saw average daily volumes rise 44.7% to 137,500 lots while the group’s stock options segment reported volume up 41.8% to a daily average of 855,000 contracts.

By contrast, Intercontinental Exchange, which operates commodities, interest rates and equity derivatives markets mostly in the US and Europe, reported trading activity down 2% last month to a daily average of 7.5 million lots.

The small decline reflected a slowdown in commodities trading and a slight increase in the group’s Financials sector.

ICE’s commodities futures and options traded a daily average of 4.2 million lots last month, down 7% on last year. This included an 8% fall in energy activity to 3.84 million lots, comprising a 19% decline in Brent crude oil derivatives and an 8% increase in ICE natural gas derivatives trading.

The US group’s Financials market, made up of interest rates, equity and foreign exchange derivatives, reported average daily volumes up 2.6%, driven largely by the group’s short-term interest rate derivatives which saw volumes rise 9.5% last month to a daily average of 2.6 million lots.

CME Group, ICE’s main US rival, reported on Wednesday average daily volume down 11% last month to 28.1 million lots, compared to 31.7 million contracts in August 2024, which was the busiest August ever for the US exchange group.

Frankfurt’s Eurex reported on Wednesday total derivatives volumes fell 18% on last August to 126.3 million lots.

Eurex’s interest rate derivatives held up, down 1% to 67.2 million lots, but the German group’s index derivatives dropped 36% to 41.5 million contracts and single stock derivatives were down 18% to 17.1 million lots.