CME Group reported a record July on August 4: average daily volume of 27 million contracts, up 23% from a year earlier. Average daily volume, or ADV, counts contracts traded per session. Micro-sized contracts carried much of the growth. Micro E-mini equity index futures and options averaged 4.4 million contracts a day, or 54% of the exchange’s equity index volume (CME Group, August 4, 2026).
What CME reported
The figure of 27 million contracts a day is the highest July ADV on record, and it is 23% above July 2025. The exchange gave per-product numbers alongside the headline total (CME Group, August 4, 2026).
| Contract | July ADV | Change year over year |
|---|---|---|
| Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures | 3 million | +159% |
| E-mini S&P 500 futures | 1.4 million | +24% |
| Micro WTI Crude Oil futures | 179,000 | +175% |
| 1-Ounce Gold futures | 417% growth, to 51,000 | +417% |
Cryptocurrency products averaged 237,000 contracts a day, which CME put at $10.3 billion in notional value.
Why the micro numbers stand out
The fastest percentage growth came in the smallest contracts. Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures more than doubled, Micro WTI Crude Oil futures grew 175%, and the 1-Ounce Gold contract grew 417% from a small base of 51,000 contracts a day. Across equity index products, micro futures and options now account for a majority of the volume at 54%.
These are the contract sizes traders work with at low account risk, and several of them sit on the instrument lists of futures evaluation accounts. CME’s release describes exchange activity only. It says nothing about how many of those contracts came from prop firm participants, and the exchange did not break volume down that way.
What it does not tell traders
No firm rule changed with this release. Drawdown settings, daily loss limits, contract caps and payout terms are set by each firm, not by the exchange. An evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading, so a trader’s fills in an evaluation come from the firm’s platform and data feed rather than from an exchange order book.
Volume data is also monthly and backward-looking. The 23% figure compares July 2026 with July 2025 and does not describe conditions in any single session.
What traders should check
The practical items sit with the firm, not with CME: which micro contracts an account is allowed to trade, the maximum contract count at each account size, and whether micros count toward a consistency or scaling rule at the same weight as full-size contracts. Trading hours and holiday closures come from the exchange calendar.
