TL;DR
- CME plans 24/7 futures and options trading on May 29 at 4:00 p.m. CT, pending review, with a minimum two-hour weekend maintenance break.
- 2025 ADV hit 407,200 contracts and open interest 335,400; futures ADV was 403,900. Tim McCourt cited $3 trillion notional volume and all-time-high risk management demand.
- Bitcoin traded just above $67,000 as total crypto market cap fell to $2.38 trillion; Deribit’s $40,000 put was a top open-interest strike.
CME Group plans to enable around-the-clock trading for its regulated crypto futures and options on May 29, starting at 4:00 p.m. CT, pending regulatory review. The headline shift is nonstop access to regulated crypto derivatives on CME Globex. The company said the schedule will move to near-continuous trading, with only a minimum two-hour maintenance break over the weekend. The change comes as listed crypto derivatives show strong usage, with 2025 activity totaling $3 trillion in notional volume, and as clients seek tighter risk management across volatile digital asset exposures. Average daily volume reached 407,200 contracts.
What 24/7 means for clients and market structure
Under the new structure, trades executed from Friday evening through Sunday evening will carry the next business day’s trade date, and clearing, settlement, and regulatory reporting will be processed on the following business day. The operational design keeps 24/7 access while preserving traditional post-trade plumbing. CME said the weekend will include only a minimum two-hour maintenance window, and the near-continuous session will run on CME Globex. Tim McCourt said client demand for risk management is at an all-time high, driving record notional volume across crypto futures and options. Always-on access lets clients trade confidently anytime.
CME said average daily open interest stands at 335,400 contracts in 2025, up 7% year over year, while average daily volume is up 46% to 407,200 contracts. The growth profile shows futures are doing most of the heavy lifting. Futures alone account for 403,900 contracts of average daily volume, a 47% increase from last year, alongside options activity captured in the broader totals. The firm also pointed to continued record participation in 2026, as more traders use listed derivatives to manage price swings in bitcoin and related contracts. It reported $3 trillion notional in 2025.
Macro crosscurrents framed the announcement. Broader markets were risk-sensitive as equities, energy, and metals moved on headlines. The Dow fell 185 points, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each slipped 0.3% to 0.4% as traders digested Walmart results and U.S.-Iran tensions. West Texas Intermediate rose more than 1% above $66 per barrel. Bitcoin traded just above $67,000, down about 1.6%, and total crypto market cap fell 1.6% to $2.38 trillion. Deribit data showed $40,000 puts as a top open-interest strike. Gold rose 0.2% to $4,989.09, while silver gained 0.9% to $77.87 per ounce.
