The Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) has listed the first-ever US index futures contracts in Taiwan – S&P500 Futures and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) Futures, in parallel with the launch of an after-hour trading session.
The listing was marked by a launching ceremony attended by guests from its international partners, CME Group and Deutsche Börse, as well as representatives from regulators, the American Institute in Taiwan, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, and the futures industry.
Len-Yu Liu (pictured), chairman of TAIFEX, says: “We are delighted to introduce two new offshore equity index futures products in response to growing demand for overseas exposure among Taiwan investors. We are also excited to be launching an after-hour trading session that will offer market participants more efficient hedging opportunities by reacting timely to changes in overseas markets.”
“TAIFEX’s launch of Taiwan dollar-denominated Equity Index futures contracts opens up new opportunities for Taiwanese investors to better manage equity index exposure,” says Sean Tully, global head of financial and OTC products at CME Group. “We hope this step further develops the Taiwanese futures industry by internationalising the Taiwanese markets.”
The S&P 500 Futures and DJIA Futures will be among 11 products eligible for trading during the after-hour trading session, alongside the most popular products traded on TAIFEX, including TAIEX Futures, TAIEX Options, Mini-TAIEX Futures, USD/CNT FX Futures and Options, USD/CNH FX Futures and Options, EUR/USD FX Futures, and USD/JPY FX Futures.
On 16 May 2017, TAIFEX will also host a forum on the development of Taiwan’s capital market, bringing together all major players in the Taiwan futures market. Guest speaker Tim McCourt, global head of equity products at CME Group, will join Shih-Chuan Tsai, senior vice president of TAIFEX, to discuss trends in the global and Taiwan’s futures markets, with a special focus on the two new contracts and the after-hour trading.
