About CME Group Inc. (CME)

Company Overview

CME Group Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It is the world's largest operator of financial derivatives exchanges. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. The company was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

It operates financial derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange, and the Commodity Exchange. Additionally, the company owns 27% of S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Financial Performance and Market Position

2024 Record Results

In 2024, CME Group's revenue was $6.12 billion, an increase of 9.90% compared to the previous year's $5.57 billion. Earnings were $3.48 billion, an increase of 9.29%.

2024 was the best year in CME Group's history and our fourth consecutive year of record volume with average daily volume increasing 9% to 26,900,000 contracts. This growth was broad based with volume increasing year over year in all six asset classes, including all time volume records in our interest rate, foreign exchange, metals and agricultural complexes.

Market Leadership

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities.

It was also a record year for our international business, which averaged 7,800,000 contracts per day or up 14% from the previous record set in 2023. In 2024, 48% of participants came from outside the U.S.

Key Financial Metrics

- 2024 Revenue: $6.1 billion (a 10% increase compared to 2023)

- 2024 Adjusted Net Income: $3.7 billion

- 2024 Adjusted Operating Margin: 68.3% (up over 140 basis points from 2023)

- Q4 2024 EPS: $2.52 (surpassed forecasted $2.48, a positive surprise of ~1.6%)

- Market Capitalization: $94.56 billion (as of September 17, 2025)

- Dividends Declared: Approximately $3.8 billion (including a $2.1 billion annual variable dividend)

Business Operations

Core Services

CME Group offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services. The company provides clearing house services, including clearing, settling, and guaranteeing futures and options contracts, and cleared swaps products traded through its exchanges; and trade processing and risk mitigation services.

In addition, the company offers a range of market data services, including real-time and historical data services. It serves professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, governments, and central banks.

Exchanges Operated

- Chicago Mercantile Exchange

- Chicago Board of Trade

- New York Mercantile Exchange

- Commodity Exchange

Strategic Initiatives

Innovation and Partnerships

Announced on August 20, 2025, a groundbreaking alliance with FanDuel, America's premier online gaming company and part of Flutter Entertainment. This partnership will launch new products and expand access to financial markets for millions of FanDuel customers in the United States.

Capital Allocation

CME Group has returned over $28 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends since the implementation of the variable dividend policy in early 2012. In addition, on February 6, 2025, the company declared a first-quarter dividend of $1.25 per share, a 9% increase from the prior level of $1.15 per share.

Industry Recognition

Brand Finance has named CME Group the most valuable exchange brand for the 11th year in a row.

CME Group continues to strengthen its position as the dominant force in global derivatives markets, leveraging technology innovation and strategic partnerships to serve an increasingly diverse client base while maintaining strong financial performance and shareholder returns.