CME to Launch E-mini(R) Futures on Xinhua/FTSE(R) China 25 Index

CME is the First U.S. Exchange to List Futures on the Chinese Equity Market

HONG KONG and CHICAGO, March 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- CME, the world's largest and most diverse financial exchange, announced today it is partnering with China index provider Xinhua FTSE Index (XFI) to list CME E-mini(R) futures on the Xinhua/FTSE(R) China 25 Index, scheduled to begin trading on May 20.

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The XFI China 25 index consists of 25 of the largest Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and has a total market capitalization of about $241 billion. The company behind the index, Xinhua FTSE Index, was established in 2000 in a joint venture between global index provider FTSE Group (FTSE) and Xinhua Finance, China's premier financial information and media service company. Many investors around the world are also already familiar with the index through the iShares FTSE Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (ticker: FXI), which trades on average more than two million shares a day.

CME, the leader in exchange listed equity index futures products, will be the first U.S. exchange to list futures on the Chinese equity market. The contracts will be traded exclusively on CME Globex(R) and available for trading virtually 24 hours a day.

"Launching the CME E-mini Xinhua/FTSE China 25 Index futures is another step in developing our Asian business strategy," CME Executive Chairman Terry Duffy said. "CME is committed to bringing products to our growing base of customers that are accessible in Asian time zones and relevant to their portfolio management requirements."

"Our customers want electronic access to the Asian markets on a platform that is fast and reliable," CME Chief Executive Officer Craig Donohue said. "Last year nearly 400 million E-mini equity index contracts traded at CME, which lists some of the most actively traded equity index futures products in the world. We look forward to adding the Xinhua/FTSE China 25 Index to our suite of benchmark equity indexes."

"We are very pleased to be partnering with the CME, a recognized institution in the Asian financial community," commented XFI Managing Director Norman Yen. "All of the stocks in our XFI China 25 Index are liquidity screened and individual index constituents are capped at 10% to avoid over-concentration of any single stock. The result is a liquid stock index that will now appeal to even more investors when it can be traded as a futures contract."

Futures on the U.S.-dollar based cash settled index, which will be listed on a quarterly cycle, will have a tick size of five index points or US $25 or approximately HKD $194.50. For more information on the CME E-mini Xinhua/FTSE China 25 Index futures, please go to http://www.CME.com/FTSE . More information about XFI's suite of China index products is available at http://www.ftsexinhua.com .

About CME

CME ( http://www.cme.com ) is the world's largest and most diverse financial exchange. As an international marketplace, CME brings together buyers and sellers on the CME Globex(R) electronic trading platform and on its trading floors. CME offers futures and options on futures in these product areas: interest rates, stock indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and alternative investment products such as weather, real estate and economic derivatives. CME is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: CME), which is part of the Russell 1000(R) Index and the S&P 500(R) Index.

About Xinhua FTSE Index

Established in late 2000, Xinhua FTSE Index (XFI), a joint venture between Xinhua Finance Limited and FTSE Group, came into being to facilitate the creation of real-time indices for the Chinese market. The indices can be used as a basis for the trading of derivatives, index-tracking funds, Exchange Traded Funds and as performance benchmarks. The combination of FTSE's expertise in international indexing with Xinhua Finance's strong presence and capabilities in China creates a level of expertise in the Chinese market that is unprecedented. Providing the combined coverage for the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, all of the Xinhua FTSE indices are designed according to internationally proven index methodology to ensure products are transparent, clear and consistent. For daily data and further information, please visit http://www.ftsexinhua.com .

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which can be obtained at its Web site at http://www.sec.gov . We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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