Dubai Mercantile Exchange trading volumes increase by 35%

Dubai: The Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) reported a 35 per cent year-on-year increase in trading volumes for 2010 and record levels of open interest.

Average daily volumes (ADV) for the DME Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract (DME Oman) reached 2,898 contracts traded (equivalent to 2.9 million barrels of oil per day), with a high of more than 3,000 ADV during the fourth quarter. The DME also set a new record for physical delivery in September 2010, with 15.1 million barrels delivered through the exchange during the month.

The DME remains the world's largest physically delivered crude oil futures contract, providing investors and traders with a transparent mechanism to identify and track the link between supply, demand and price for physical barrels.

The year's record performance reflects strong continued progress for the DME and reinforces the DME Oman contract's position as the most efficient price discovery and risk management tool for the East of Suez crude oil markets, the commodity bourse said in a statement.

More than 50 companies trade on the exchange while in excess of 140 million barrels of crude oil were delivered through the DME during 2010.

The DME's role as a provider of risk management capabilities has been enhanced in 2010 through the launch of six DME Oman-linked swap and option contracts by NYMEX, part of the CME Group. The contracts are: DME Oman Crude Oil Swap Futures, DME Oman Crude Oil BALMO Swap Futures, ICE Brent vs. DME Oman Crude Oil Swap Futures, DME Oman Crude Oil Average Price Option, Singapore MOGAS 92 Unleaded (Platts) vs. DME Oman Crude Oil Swap Futures andSingapore Gasoil (Platts) vs. DME Oman Crude Oil Swap Futures. The introduction of these new products enables the DME to provide a mechanism for industry participants to manage price risk more effectively in the Middle East and Asia Pacific markets while also offering investment options to new participants looking for exposure to Middle Eastern crude oil bound for East of Suez markets.

Commenting on the year's performance, Ahmad Sharaf, Chairman of the DME, said: "At a time when Asian oil markets continue to grow rapidly, overtaking consumption levels in Europe and North America, we are confident that both the importance of the DME Oman contract, and the role that it can play within the global market, will continue to grow still further."

Thomas Leaver, Chief Executive of the DME, said: "The progress that we continue to make is very encouraging and demonstrates the underlying strength of the contract...we can continue to develop and build the DME further as we move into 2011. I look forward to reporting further progress during the course of the year."

Positive outlook