CME Group to Introduce Cash-Settled Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Index Options

CME Group has announced its plan to launch cash-settled Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 index options on June 29, pending regulatory approval.

The new Micro options contracts will be one-tenth the size of the existing E-mini options and will offer short-term expiries every day from Monday through Friday.

Furthermore, these contracts will be cash-settled, eliminating additional operational steps related to the delivery of underlying futures at expiration.

"Our ongoing expansion of the highly liquid equity index options suite directly responds to client demand for more flexible and accessible tools for risk management and market access," said Joe Hickey, Global Head of Equity Products at CME Group Inc.

"By combining a smaller contract size with the operational ease of cash settlement, we are providing traders with a capital-efficient and flexible toolkit to manage their exposure to major U.S. equity benchmark indices with precision."

The launch of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 index options builds upon the significant success of CME Group's existing suite of Micro E-mini equity index products.

Since their introduction, this product family has seen cumulative volume exceed 26 billion contracts, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Micro E-mini products individually surpassing 10 billion contracts in trading volume.

The new products will be listed on and subject to the rules of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).