CME Group reported on October 2 that September’s average daily volume reached 31.8 million contracts, up 22% from a year earlier. Third-quarter volume averaged 29.4 million contracts a day, up 16%. For futures prop traders, the smaller contracts stand out: Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures averaged 2.4 million contracts a day in September, up 73%, according to the exchange.
The September figures
The CME release reports volume across futures and options. A figure for an asset class therefore has a different scope from a figure for an individual futures contract.
| Market or product | September average daily volume | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| All reported contracts | 31.8 million | +22% |
| Equity index products | 8.1 million | +16% |
| Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures | 2.4 million | +73% |
| E-mini S&P 500 futures | 1.8 million | +12% |
| Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures | 1.1 million | +7% |
| Micro WTI crude oil futures | 240,000 | +376% |
Source: CME Group, October 2, 2026. These are monthly daily averages, not a snapshot of the order book.
Micro E-mini equity index futures and options averaged 3.7 million contracts a day, representing 45% of the exchange’s overall equity index average daily volume. The combined micro figure includes options; it should not be treated as futures-only volume.
What a prop trader can take from it
The report describes activity at the exchange. It does not describe evaluation pass rates, funded-account payouts or the results of an individual trader. A futures prop account’s permitted contracts and position limits remain matters for that firm’s rulebook.
The same distinction applies to execution. Monthly volume tells a trader how much trading occurred on average. It does not establish the spread, depth or slippage available at a particular time, nor the execution conditions of a simulated account.
Trading hours are a separate check. The volume report does not change the CME futures schedule or a firm’s weekend-holding rules. Those depend on the contract and the account.
Q3 and September are separate periods
CME also reported third-quarter Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures volume of 2.6 million contracts a day, up 101% year over year. That quarterly average differs from September’s 2.4 million. Comparing one period with the other’s annual growth rate would give a misleading result.
