Etrade adds CME foreign exchange futures

Retail brokerage Etrade has added foreign exchange futures to its equities trading platform, through a link with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Globex platform. This brings the total number of futures contracts available via Etrade to eight.

Etrade’s Lightspeed platform now offers euro and yen currency futures in either full size or E-mini versions. E-mini S&P 500, E-mini Nasdaq 100, E-mini S&P Midcap 400 and E-mini Russell 2000 futures have been on the platform since March 2003.

Like the E-mini stock index products, the FX futures trade on a quarterly cycle, and have a comparable open-outcry contract that trades simultaneously, so offering opportunities for increased liquidity, said the CME.

The addition of these futures contracts follows the recent appointment of Jack Sandner as head of the futures group at Etrade, and marks the firm’s expansion in derivatives, said Lou Klobuchar, chief brokerage officer.

E-mini forex products reflect changes in the US dollar value relative to the euro or yen, and are half the size of a standard futures contract.