CME Group Inc. (Chicago Mercantile Exchange & Chicago Board of Trade) is an American futures company and one of the largest options and futures exchanges. It owns and operates large derivatives and futures exchanges in Chicago and New York City, as well as online trading platforms. In 2014, it gained regulatory approval to open a derivatives exchange in London. It also owns the Dow Jones stock and financial indexes, and CME Clearing Services, which provides settlement and clearing of exchange trades. The exchange-traded derivative contracts include futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, rare and precious metals, weather, and real estate. It has been described by The Economist as "The biggest financial exchange you have never heard of."
The corporate world headquarters are in Chicago in The Loop. The corporation was formed by the 2007 merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). On March 17, 2008, CME Group announced it had acquired NYMEX Holdings, Inc., the parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange, Inc (COMEX). The acquisition was formally completed on August 22, 2008. The four exchanges now operate as designated contract markets (DCM) of the CME Group.