WCE Reports Higher Profits, Volumes

WINNIPEG - Apr 3/07 - SNS -- WCE Holdings Inc., parent company of Winnipeg Commodity Exchange Inc., WCE Clearing Corporation and Canadian Climate Exchange Inc., reported total revenue of CDN $3.2 million for the six months ended February 28, 2007.

This is an increase of 16% from the same period of the previous year. Net earnings for the six months were $501,227, an increase of 14% from the same period of the previous year.

The WCE also reported a 20.4% increase in total trading volume between August 1 and March 31, with 2,055,602 contracts exchanging hands since the start of the 2006-07 marketing year.

Canola futures trading volume totals 1,837,760, up 19.5% from the same time period a year ago. Crop year-to-date volume for western barley futures contracts is 153,747 contracts, which is up 63.5% from a year ago. Wheat futures contract volume for the crop year-to-date is 47,257 contracts. The total number of options contracts traded on WCE since the beginning of the crop year is 16,838.

Total volume of trade on WCE during March 2007 was 225,572 futures and options contracts.

Canola futures contract volume for the month was 198,589 contracts. Western barley futures volume was 21,229 contracts and feed wheat futures contract trade totaled 5,096 contracts. There were 658 options contracts traded (483 canola options and 175 western barley options).

While open interest in options as at March 31, 2007 was lower than a year ago, open interest in WCE futures contracts was 7.9% higher than at the end of March 2006. Total open interest in WCE futures and options contracts stood at 124,531 contracts at the end of March 2007.