CME: CME Globex natural gas futures and options to pre-open at 12:45 CT and open at 12:50 CT

CME: CME Globex natural gas futures and options to pre-open at 12:45 CT and open at 12:50 CT

CME Announces Pre-Open and Opening Times for Natural Gas Futures and Options
On February 25, 2026, CME Group’s CME Globex platform will pre-open natural gas futures and options trading at 12:45 p.m. Central Time (CT), with official trading set to commence at 12:50 p.m. CT. This schedule aligns with the exchange's standard procedures for facilitating orderly market access and enabling participants to prepare for session openings.

Henry Hub Natural Gas futures remain a cornerstone of global energy markets, offering liquidity and risk management tools for producers, consumers, and investors. The contract, based on the Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana, is the third-largest physical commodity futures contract by volume, with an average daily trading volume of 400,000 contracts and open interest exceeding 1.7 million contracts. The product supports diverse trading strategies, including American-style, European-style, and weekly options, with the latter expiring daily to address short-term price volatility.

CME Group emphasizes the efficiency of natural gas futures, which allow participants to manage exposure with relatively small capital outlays due to leverage inherent in futures contracts. Physical settlement ensures alignment with spot market conditions, while the CME Group Volatility Index (CVOL) provides a forward-looking measure of 30-day implied volatility derived from options activity.

Traders can access these instruments via CME Direct, a unified platform for futures, options, and block trading, or through CME Globex's 24-hour electronic access. Additional resources, such as the Open Interest Profile Tool and Commitment of Traders reports, aid in analyzing market dynamics.

The pre-open period at 12:45 p.m. CT allows market participants to review order imbalances and price expectations before the official open. This process supports transparency and fairness in price discovery, particularly in a market influenced by factors like weather, storage levels, and global energy demand.

For further details on trading hours, product specifications, or market analytics, investors may consult CME Group's official resources or contact the Energy team for tailored guidance.

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