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Growth in Volume of Futures & Option Contracts Traded & CFTC FTEs, 2000–2009


Table Of Contents

Trading volume has increased almost five-fold in the last decade (2000–2009), while staffing levels at the Commission have trended downward.1

Growth in Volume of Futures & Option Contracts Traded
& CFTC Full-time Equivalents (FTEs)
  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Full-time Equivalents
(Staffing Levels)
546 514 521 497 517 491 493 437 449 498
Contract Trading Volume
(Millions)
580 723 1,004 1,225 1,518 1,920 2,421 3,085 3,446 2,774

1 Volume started decreasing at the end of FY 2008 and has continued at about a 20 percent decline for FY 2009. (back to text)

Last Updated: March 19, 2010