CME Group's Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures Reach New Open Interest Record
CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, announced that its Henry Hub natural gas futures reached a new open interest record of 1,807,497 contracts on September 1, 2026. This surpasses the previous record of 1,801,183 contracts traded on November 8, 2024.
The trading in physically-delivered Henry Hub futures tends to rise ahead of winter months, with open interest usually peaking around November of each year. However, in 2026, CME Group's open interest rose faster than usual and reached record levels due to clients positioning for geopolitical shifts and winter volatility.
According to Peter Keavey, Global Head of Energy and Environmental Products at CME Group, 'Clients are turning to CME Group's energy futures and leading options markets to manage their risk as a Super El Niño reshapes weather-driven demand, record LNG output reorders global gas flows, and the Middle East creates ongoing supply uncertainty.'
CME Group's energy business had a record first half of 2026, with average daily volume climbing 11% to 3.3 million contracts.