New Energy, Index and Currency Contracts Make Their Debut

By Kristina Zurla Landgraf   ISSUE 501 | JAN 2006

Following another record-shattering year for the futures industry in 2005, the start of the new year has brought the debut of even more new futures products in the energy, stock index and currency arenas. No doubt, the exchanges will continue to look for more growth opportunities via innovative new offerings.

Below is a brief summary of some of the new futures contracts launching at the start of 2006; please see the Web site of the appropriate exchange for more details. Please keep in mind that often new products may take time to develop liquidity, so you should discuss your particular situation with a professional. You can call a representative at Lind-Waldock with any questions you have about futures trading at 800-445-2000.

NYBOT Launches FINEX Euro Currency Index Futures

On January 13, the New York Board of Trade launched Euro Currency Index futures, which represent a geometric average that tracks the value of the euro against a basket of five major world currencies: the U.S. dollar, British pound, Japanese yen, Swiss franc, and Swedish krona. The contract will trade in the NYBOT currency pits on the exchange's New York and Dublin trading floors. NYBOT said this new product complements its existing U.S. Dollar Index futures contract, a recognized barometer of the U.S. dollar.

Contract size: 1,000 euros times the index, quoted in index points to two decimal places.
Trading symbol: E
Minimum price fluctuation: .01 of a Euro Index point, or 10 euro per contract
Trading hours: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT.

To learn more about the new contract, please go to the FINEX Euro Index section on the

NYBOT Web site at www.nybot.com.

NYMEX Launches miNY™ Gasoline and Heating Oil Futures Contracts

On Monday, January 16, 2006, the New York Mercantile Exchange launched NYMEX miNY™ Unleaded Gasoline and NYMEX miNY™ Heating Oil futures contracts. These futures contracts are traded exclusively on the NYMEX ClearPort® electronic trading platform.

Contract size: One-half the size of the floor traded contracts, or 21,000 gallons
Minimum price fluctuation: $0.002, or $42 per tick
Trading symbols:
QU for NYMEX miNY™ Unleaded Gasoline
QH for NYMEX miNY™ Heating Oil
Trading hours: Available for trading on the NYMEX ClearPort® trading platform from 6:00 p.m. Sunday through 1:30 p.m. Friday CT, with a 45-minute break each day between 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. CT. A pre-open break occurs from 8:30 a.m. to 9:05 a.m. CT Monday through Friday.

For more information, go to the NYMEX Web site at www.nymex.com

ICE Launches WTI Crude Futures February 3, 2006

IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) launched West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Light Sweet Crude Oil futures on February 3, 2006 . The contract provides participants the opportunity to trade one of the world’s most liquid commodities in a fully electronic marketplace. The ICE WTI Crude futures contract will be cash settled. ICE currently also offers trading in IPE Brent crude futures, the price reference for two-thirds of the world’s traded oil.

Contract size: One contract = 1,000 barrels
Minimum price fluctuation : One cent per barrel, equivalent to tick value of $10
Trading Hours: 7:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. the following day CT.

For more information, see ICE Web site, at www.theice.com.

CME to Launch E-mini S&P Asia 50 Futures February 12, 2006

CME will expand its popular CME E-mini product line on February 12, 2006 with a new contract offering -- CME® E-mini® S&P Asia 50® futures.

Based on the S&P Asia 50 Index, these contracts are designed to help investors capitalize on the investment opportunities in the Far East , where Asian "tigers" such as Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are experiencing impressive growth.

CME E-mini S&P Asia 50 futures contracts will utilize the E-mini design pioneered at CME, and will be available for electronic trading on the CME Globex® electronic trading platform virtually 24 hours a day, six days a week.

Contract size: $25 times the index
Minimum price fluctuation: 0.50 index points or $12.50
Ticker symbol: SP5
Trading hours : Offered on CME Globex Sunday-Thursday, 5:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT the following day.

For more information, see the CME’s Web site at www.cme.com

Kristina Zurla Landgraf is editor of Lind eWire. She can be reached by email at editor@lind-waldock.com.

Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future trading results. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources which Lind-Waldock believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder.

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