UPDATE (20th November 9:57 EST): In a statement to Reuters, a representative for CME Group said that the Dec. 11 launch date posted online âwas due to an errorâ with the website.
The statement on the CME website now reads: âEffective Q4 2017, and pending all relevant regulatory review periods, please be advised that CME will launch bitcoin futures.â
New details have been posted about CME Groupâs upcoming bitcoin futures, which â barring any delays from regulators â will start trading on Dec. 11.
The derivatives exchange operator has published information about the contract launch on its website, following CME CEO Terry Duffyâs headline-grabbing announcement from last week. At the time, Duffy said that trading could go live as early as the second week of December.
Now, the company has all but confirmed that statement, writing on its website:
âEffective Sunday[,] 10 December 2017 for trade date Monday[,] 11 December 2017, and pending all relevant regulatory review periods, please be advised that CME will launch Bitcoin Futures.â
Each contract will constitute 5 BTC, as previously reported by Business Insider, trading on both the CME Globex and CME ClearPort systems and using CMEâs existing bitcoin price indices. Spot position limits are set at 1,000 contracts, according to the company.
For the contracts, CME explained, minimum price fluctuations (or âticksâ) are pegged at $5 per bitcoin, representing a total of $25 for each one.
Additional materials posted on CMEâs website also indicates how it will handle potentially large swings in the price of bitcoin.
âSpecial price fluctuation limits equal to 7% above and below prior settlement price and 13% above and below prior settlement price and a price limit of 20% above or below the previous settlement price. Trading will not be permitted outside the 20% above and below prior settlement price,â the company explained.
Disclosure:Â CME Group is an investor in Digital Currency Group, CoinDeskâs parent company.Â
CME logo image via Shutterstock