The Long and Short of Futures Options: Interest Rates and FX

In this episode, Mark is joined by Derek Sammonn, Senior Managing Director of Interest Rates and FX at CME Group. What to Know: FX futures recently turned 40. What's going on the Euro Zone, and how does it affect the volume trends on your FX complex? Are people continuing to put on downside protection in the Euro? The fact that you're putting up 80% in terms of actual volume on the electronic side is quite an eye-opening statistic. Mid-curve interest rate contracts. What's New: CME allows customers to trade not just by price, but also by vol. An update on the OTC clearing exchange and what is happening on the interest rate side. Info on the open interest profile and Fed watch tools. What's on Your Mind: Listener questions and comments How does the CME view the rise in popularity of fixed income ETFs like TLT? Do they view them as cannibalizing their existing fixed income products, or do they view them as additive to their product mix, because many holders of these products hedge with treasury futures? Can they even be viewed as gateway products for retail customers who may have never trading a fixed income product before, let alone a bond, future or option? (Via Facebook from Dan Evans, New York, NY) What do think about CBOE and other options exchanges now listing a full month of weeklies, effectively copying CME's Weekly Strategy? (Via Twitter from Tim16)