ICE reports ‘record’ market activity as customers respond to Middle East impacts

Intercontinental Exchange reported on the trading activity across its global derivatives markets, as well as in equities trading at the New York Stock Exchange, as customers respond to events in the Middle East beginning February 28, 2026. ICE‘s Brent, Gasoil, Murban, Dubai, and TTF markets have continued to serve as the global benchmarks for crude, refined products, and natural gas, providing real time price transparency as customers hedge risk and respond to heightened geopolitical uncertainty. ICE’s commodity markets have hit consistent open interest records throughout March 2026. Most recently on March 25, 2026, open interest reached new all time highs across commodity futures and options, underscoring the depth and liquidity of ICE’s benchmark portfolio and the continued adoption of ICE’s markets as global risk management tools. The open interest records include: Record 76.8 million contracts in commodity futures and options; Record 72.7 million in energy futures and options; Record 46.6 million in natural gas futures and options, including a record 40.1 million in North American natural gas futures and options; Record 19.8 million in total oil futures and options, including a record 8.3 million in ICE Brent futures and options – the highest level in the global benchmark’s history; ICE’s options markets have been heavily utilized by participants with ICE’s commodity, energy, oil, and ICE Brent options markets at record open interest of 32.5 million, 30.8 million, 8.4 million and 5.1 million respectively. On March 12, 2026, ICE’s markets reached record open interest of 125.4 million, including a record 51.2 million financial futures and options as customers manage changing expectations for inflation and interest rates.