Release: 4627-02
For Release: April 3, 2002

CFTC Staff Allows Eurex Deutschland’s Futures Contracts Based on the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index and the Dow Jones EURO STOXX Banking Sector Index to be Offered and Sold in the United States

Washington, D.C. -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC's) Office of General Counsel (OGC) issued a no-action letter on April 2, 2002, permitting the offer and sale in the United States of Eurex Deutschland’s futures contracts based on the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index and the Dow Jones EURO STOXX Banking Sector Index.

The Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index and the Dow Jones EURO STOXX Banking Sector Index are both broad-based, “free-float” capitalization-weighted indices designed and administered by STOXX Limited. The Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index is comprised of the stocks of companies engaged primarily in the business of banking contained in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Index, which is composed of the 600 largest stocks in the Dow Jones STOXX Total Market Index. The Dow Jones EURO STOXX Banking Sector Index consists only of those banking sector stocks contained in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index that are from issuers organized in countries participating in the European Monetary Union.

Based on data supplied by Eurex Deutschland, the total market capitalizations of the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Banking Sector Index and the Dow Jones EURO STOXX Banking Sector Index were U.S. $786.5 billion and U.S. $337.3 billion, respectively, as of October 10, 2001.

For information on foreign exchange-traded stock index futures contracts pending no-action approval with the CFTC's OGC, see the Foreign Instrument Approvals & Exemptions Backgrounder at www.cftc.gov/opa/backgrounder/opapart30.htm.