New CFTC-regulated options on futures will physically settle into front-month Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) Futures
Designed to offer market participants the ability to more granularly manage volatility
Further expansion of Cboe's volatility complex following launch of Cboe S&P 500 Variance (VA) futures
CHICAGO, Oct. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today announced its new Options on Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) Futures (Ticker: UX) are planned to begin trading on Cboe Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE) on Monday, October 14.
(PRNewsfoto/Cboe Global Markets, Inc.)
The new Options on VIX Futures will provide investors an additional tool to help manage U.S. equity market volatility, complementing Cboe's existing securities-based VIX Index options, which are designed to provide similar risk management and yield enhancement capabilities. Utilizing an option-on-future structure, the new product may allow more market participants, including those restricted from accessing securities-based options, to trade a VIX options product.
Cboe's VIX Index options have seen record trading volumes during the last two years, with average daily volumes reaching over 851,000 contracts in 2024, up approximately 60% from 2022, as more investors have sought utility the options offer.
"Investors have long utilized VIX options and VIX futures to help hedge and manage volatility exposure, and Cboe is proud to expand our volatility product suite at such a critical time," said Catherine Clay, Global Head of Derivatives at Cboe. "With its options-on-futures structure, the new Options on VIX Futures will look to meet growing customer demand as Cboe works to provide an efficient and seamless experience to both existing and new CFE market participants. The launch will complement our existing volatility offerings, including the recently launched Cboe S&P 500 Variance futures, and enable more investors with the ability to help manage volatility and risk through the election season and beyond."
"20 years after Cboe launched VIX futures, followed by VIX options, and helped establish volatility as an asset class, we continue to prioritize product innovation, engage with our customers and bring new exchange-traded volatility derivatives to market," said Rob Hocking, Head of Product Innovation at Cboe. "We believe there is a strong demand for risk management tools, especially as investors prepare for the upcoming election and the recent change in the Fed's monetary policy. We've seen a shift in how investors are using options on a day-to-day basis, and with Options on VIX Futures having a mid-curve structure and the ability to offer short-term exposure, investors are expected to be able to manage short-term volatility with greater precision."
Christine Hansen, CEO at IMC US, said: "We are proud to support the expansion of listed volatility offerings from Cboe to meet the varying needs of investors"
Tom Chlada, Chief Operating Officer at Prime Trading, said: "Prime's investment philosophy is to protect and grow capital, and Cboe's new Options on VIX Futures will be a very welcomed addition to our toolkit, enabling us to better express views on volatility and fine-tune our risk management approach. We believe the new options will help boost participation and trading opportunities in the volatility space, and we look forward to incorporating this tool in our portfolios."
Keith DeCarlucci, Chief Investment Officer at Melqart KEAL Macro Fund, said: "VIX futures and options play an important role when managing portfolios, and we welcome Cboe's further expansion of its exchange-traded volatility tools with Options on VIX Futures. Combined with the recent variance futures launch, we have two new products to leverage."
Options on VIX futures will have European-style exercise, P.M. settlement and physically settle into front-month VIX future. At launch, CFE will list contract expirations for every day the week of October 21 with two additional Friday expirations. Each weekday beginning October 21, CFE plans to list a new contract for trading expiring on the same weekday in the week or weeks following.
The contracts will be regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and cleared by The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC).
The upcoming launch of Options on VIX Futures follows the recent launch of Cboe S&P 500 Variance (VA) futures, which are designed to offer a streamlined approach to trading the spread between implied and realized volatility. Both products add to Cboe's existing volatility suite and provide investors with exchange-traded solutions to manage market volatility ahead of and following the U.S. election.
On Friday, October 11 at 8:30 am ET, Cboe will be hosting a webinar with speakers from Allspring Global, IMC Financial Markets, and Golden Horse Fund Management on how Options on VIX Futures can enhance trading ease and accessibility. To register for the webinar, please click here. For more information about Options on VIX Futures, visit: Options on Cboe Volatility Index? Futures.
About Cboe Global Markets
Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives and FX across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Above all, we are committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future. To learn more about the Exchange for the World Stage, visit www.cboe.com.
Cboe?, CFE?, Cboe Futures Exchange?, VIX?, and Cboe Global Markets? are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. S&P?, SPX?, S&P 500?, DSPX?, DSPBX, US 500 and The 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC or its affiliates, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively "Cboe") for certain purposes. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI") and has been licensed for use by Cboe. Cboe exchange-traded products that have the S&P 500 Index or other S&P Indexes (collectively, the "S&P Indexes") as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P DJI or its affiliates (collectively, "S&P"). S&P does not make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P Indexes as their underlying interests, and S&P will have no liability with respect thereto.
The S&P 500 Index has been licensed to Cboe Exchange, Inc. for the purposes of creating the Cboe S&P 500 Variance Indicator. "Variance Indicator" means a series over time of realized or implied variance values, which series uses as input for its calculation, among other values, one or more of the following values: the value of one or more Standardized Options Contracts based on an Underlying S&P Index, the value of another financial interest based on an Underlying S&P Index, or the value of an Underlying S&P Index. Cboe S&P 500 Variance Futures settling into the Cboe S&P 500 Variance Indicator are not issued, marketed, sponsored or promoted by S&P DJI or its affiliates, and S&P DJI will have no liability with respect thereto.
Trading in futures and options on futures is not suitable for all market participants and involves the risk of loss, which can be substantial and can exceed the amount of money deposited for a futures or options on futures position. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether trading in futures and options on futures is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should put at risk only funds that you can afford to lose without affecting your lifestyle. For additional information regarding the risks associated with trading futures and options on futures and with trading security futures, see respectively the Risk Disclosure Statement Referenced in CFTC Letter 16-82 and the Risk Disclosure Statement for Security Futures Contracts. Certain risks associated with options, futures, and options on futures and certain disclosures relating to information provided regarding these products are also highlighted at https://www.cboe.com/us disclaimers.
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Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice. Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation.
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Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; global expansion of operations; factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; the impacts of pandemics; the accuracy of our estimates and expectations; litigation risks and other liabilities; and risks relating to digital assets, including winding down the Cboe Digital spot marketand transitioning digital asset futures contracts to CFE, operating a digital assets futures clearinghouse, cybercrime, changes in digital asset regulation, and fluctuations in digital asset prices. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC.
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