CME Group Posts Record Third-Quarter Revenue

The Tip Desk · October 21, 2026 · 2 min read

Revenue reached $1.7 billion as average daily volume hit a third-quarter record 29.4 million contracts.

CME Group Inc. (CME), the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, reported revenue of $1.7 billion for the third quarter of 2026, up from $1.5 billion a year earlier, and called it the highest third-quarter revenue on record.

Operating income was $1.1 billion. Net income was $1.0 billion, or $2.89 a share. On an adjusted basis, operating income was $1.2 billion, net income $1.1 billion, and diluted earnings $3.02 a share, compared with $2.99 a share in the second quarter.

Average daily volume climbed to a third-quarter record of 29.4 million contracts, down from 29.8 million in the second quarter after a first-quarter record of 36.2 million. Non-U.S. ADV reached a third-quarter high of 9 million contracts. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy said clients turned to the company in record numbers as uncertainty intensified, with double-digit volume growth across all six asset classes.

Interest-rates ADV was 15.1 million contracts, up from 14.5 million in the second quarter. Equity-indexes ADV was 7.7 million. Energy ADV was 2.7 million, agricultural commodities 2.0 million, foreign exchange 1.0 million, and metals 0.9 million.

Clearing and transaction fees totaled $1.4 billion. The total average rate per contract was $0.679, versus $0.678 in the second quarter. Interest-rates RPC was $0.489, foreign-exchange RPC $0.852, energy RPC $1.146, agricultural RPC $1.377, and metals RPC $1.326. Equity-indexes RPC was $0.605.

Market data revenue totaled a record $243 million, an increase of 20% from a year earlier. Other revenue was $116 million.

Duffy said the company generated a new high of $100 billion in average daily capital efficiencies and made strong progress in its cloud migration, making CME Group the only exchange to offer clients both co-location and cloud-managed services.

Expenses were $596 million. Compensation and benefits were $234 million, technology $81 million, licensing and other fee agreements $104 million, and amortization of purchased intangibles $56 million.

As of September 30, 2026, the company had $2.4 billion in cash, including $225 million deposited with Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, and $3.4 billion of debt. It returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders in the quarter, with $465 million in regular quarterly dividends and $524 million in share repurchases.

Adjusted operating income of $1.2 billion matched the second-quarter level. GAAP operating income of $1.1 billion also matched the prior quarter. Diluted earnings of $2.89 a share compared with $2.88 a share in the second quarter.

The company said it launched several innovative new products during the quarter.