WCE Continues Record Setting Pace

WINNIPEG - Oct 3/07 - SNS -- The Winnipeg Commodity Exchange continued to set monthly record for trading volumes, with September surpassing last year's record for that month.

A total of 252,945 futures and options contracts were traded during the month, up 5% from September 2006.

Canola futures contract volume for September 2007 was 212,288 contracts, which was inline with September 2006 volume. Trading in canola options contracts during September increased 46.5% from a year ago to 8,335 contracts.

Western barley futures contract volume rose sharply over last September to 27,030 contracts, an increase of 81.4%.

Also in September, 5,292 contracts for feed wheat futures were traded.

Crop year-to-date (since August 1, 2007) futures contract volume is 9.3% higher than last year at 448,894 contracts. Options contract volume for the crop year-to-date is up 45.3% from a year ago at 9,427 contracts.

At the end of September 2007, total open interest stood at 153,551 contracts, an increase of 45.5% over year-ago levels. The December 2007 western barley futures contract set a record open interest for that contract month as at the close of business on September 28, 2007 when open interest reached 12,734 contracts.