CME Group adds smaller WTI crude oil futures and 24/7 gold trading
The exchange plans, pending regulatory review, to launch a 10-barrel WTI crude contract and enable round-the-clock trading in its 1-ounce gold futures as demand for smaller, always-on products grows.
CME Group plans, subject to regulatory approval, to expand commodity market access with round-the-clock trading for its 1-ounce gold futures and a new smaller WTI crude oil futures contract. The gold contract will begin trading every hour of every day on July 26 under COMEX rules, while the cash-settled 10-barrel WTI contract is scheduled to launch on August 30 on NYMEX, CME Group’s energy exchange. The new oil product is one-tenth the size of CME’s current Micro WTI futures and is aimed at lowering barriers to entry for traders who find standard contract sizes too large. CME said demand for smaller crude contracts has risen, with Micro WTI futures averaging 272,000 contracts a day in May 2026, up 317% from May 2025, while options on WTI crude reached a record average daily volume of 320,000 contracts in the first quarter of 2026. The exchange also said its 1-ounce gold contract, launched in January 2025, has averaged nearly 90,000 contracts a day in 2026, and its gold benchmark products handle almost $100 billion in daily value traded. Derek Sammann, CME Group’s senior managing director and global head of commodities markets, said geopolitical uncertainty is driving traders to seek regulated products that are right-sized and available 24/7 so they can manage exposure whenever news breaks.
- cash-settled: A contract structure in which positions are settled in money rather than through delivery of the physical commodity.
- WTI crude oil futures: Contracts tied to West Texas Intermediate crude prices that traders use to hedge or gain exposure to oil markets.
- liquidity: The ease of buying or selling an asset without significantly affecting its price.