The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has confirmed its non-objection for Euronext to grant direct trading access to US participants on the CAC 40 Dividend Index Futures and the AEX Dividend Index Futures.
Effective 13 June 2017, Euronext participants and investors domiciled in the US now have direct trading access to Dividend Futures on these two blue-chip European indices.
After achieving 100 per cent growth in volumes traded in 2016[2], the CAC 40 Dividend Index Future continues to reach new trading milestones in 2017. From January to May 2017, the number of contracts traded was up by nearly 200 per cent with around 230,000 lots traded. In June, open interest also reached a new record with around 115,000 lots, representing 56 per cent growth. The increasing number of investors that use CAC 40 Dividend Index Futures to hedge dividend risk, or capture upside potential, has significantly improved the contract’s liquidity, demonstrated by this positive trend.
Nicolas Certner, Head of Forward Trading Europe at BNP Paribas, says: “BNP Paribas has been involved in the CAC dividend index contract launch, and market maker on screen daily since the early stage of the contract life. As a top player on the CAC 40 Dividend Index Future, we believe the recent opening to the US investors constitutes a major milestone in its development. BNP Paribas will strive to improve liquidity even more going forward.”
Lee Hodgkinson (pictured), Head of Markets and Global Sales at Euronext, adds: “We are delighted to provide U.S. based investors with access to new trading opportunities in our Dividend Index Future franchise. The recent volume records on our CAC 40 Dividend Index Future contract show increased interest with new users emerging from both the sell side and buy side. We will continue to support our clients with the solutions they need to adapt and grow their businesses.”
