MetroTrade added CME-listed options on futures to its retail trading platform through an expanded partnership with Devexperts, giving clients access to futures and related options from the same account. The launch extends the broker beyond outright futures trading into instruments that allow traders to construct positions around volatility, time, and strike prices. CME Group's derivatives markets have attracted greater activity, with the exchange reporting record average daily volume of 28.1 million contracts in 2025, an increase of 6% from the previous year, while Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures volume rose 35% and options on zero-to-five-day expirations grew 120% from 2021 to 2025.
MetroTrade Deploys Options Infrastructure Through Devexperts Partnership
Contracts available through the MetroTrader platform include options linked to CME futures across equity indices, energy, metals and other markets. Devexperts developed the options infrastructure, including an options chain, an earnings analyzer and support for multi-leg orders. MetroTrade said it was the first Devexperts client to bring the new options-on-futures capability into production.
Founded in 2023, MetroTrade entered the US futures market with commissions starting at $0.29 per side for micro contracts, intraday margins from $50 on selected products and no platform fee. David Klotz, President of MetroTrade, said: "Devexperts has been a strong technology partner since the beginning, and that relationship made this possible. As their first client to bring options on futures to the platform, we worked closely with their team to build the infrastructure from the ground up."
Devexperts Brings US Futures Platform Into Production
The MetroTrade deployment follows the launch of Devexperts' turnkey US futures platform in February 2025. The technology provider said at the time that the system had been designed for brokers entering futures and options on futures, with support for CME and ICE markets, depth-of-market trading, order management, pre-trade validation and real-time margin calculations.
Jon Light, Senior Director of Product Management at Devexperts, said: "The addition of options on futures will provide MetroTrade's traders with the opportunity to execute more advanced trading strategies with greater flexibility. We are pleased to have been able to work with MetroTrade to further enhance its already advanced offering to futures traders."
CME Reports Record Derivatives Volumes in 2025
CME Group reported a record average daily volume of 28.1 million contracts in 2025, an increase of 6% from the previous year. Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures volume rose 35%, metals volume increased 34%, and gold options reached a record average of 96,000 contracts per day. Foreign exchange options volume increased 19%, while several interest-rate and energy options markets also reached records.
The exchange reported average daily volume of 1.4 million contracts in both US Treasury options and SOFR options during the fourth quarter. Micro E-mini equity index futures and options accounted for more than 40% of CME's equity index volume in December 2025.
Average daily volume in E-mini S&P 500 options with between zero and five days remaining before expiration increased from approximately 350,000 contracts in 2021 to 770,000 contracts in 2025, a rise of 120%. These contracts allow traders to take positions around economic data, central-bank decisions, geopolitical developments and sudden changes in commodity prices without committing to longer maturities.
Options on Futures Introduce Non-Linear Market Exposure
A futures contract produces a largely linear result, with a one-point move in the market producing a corresponding gain or loss for the long and short positions. An option introduces additional variables because its value depends on the underlying futures price, the strike price, time remaining, expected volatility and interest rates.
This structure gives traders more ways to express a market view. A trader expecting higher volatility can construct a position that does not depend entirely on predicting direction. A futures position can be hedged with an option that limits part of the downside. Traders can also use vertical spreads to define the maximum gain and loss before entering the trade.
The single-account structure is important for MetroTrade because the practical value of these efficiencies depends on the broker, clearing firm and platform recognizing the positions together. CME promotes the contracts as tools for managing event risk and reducing portfolio volatility, while centralized clearing can provide margin offsets when related futures and options positions are held within the same portfolio.
Retail Options Access Creates Education and Risk-Control Requirements
An option buyer can lose the entire premium. An uncovered option seller can face losses that substantially exceed the premium received, while changing volatility and time decay can alter a position even when the underlying market remains near the trader's entry price. Liquidity also differs across contracts, with major equity index options having active markets across numerous strikes and expirations, while less-traded commodity options can have wider spreads or limited depth away from the most active contracts.
Exercise and assignment create another layer of responsibility. An option on a futures contract may result in a futures position when exercised or assigned. Traders who view the premium as their only exposure can be surprised by the margin requirements and market risk attached to the resulting position.
MetroTrade is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as an introducing broker and is a member of the National Futures Association. The broker must balance advanced functionality with enough information for clients to understand the position they are creating, its estimated cost, its maximum loss where calculable and the conditions under which it may be exercised.
MetroTrade Competes to Retain Multi-Strategy Traders
For MetroTrade, options on futures provide a route to retain clients whose strategies have moved beyond buying and selling individual futures contracts. Without options, those traders would need to open an account with another futures broker or use a separate platform, taking trading activity and account assets with them.
The launch may also help MetroTrade compete against established futures platforms that already offer strategy builders, options chains and integrated margin analysis. Devexperts' technology gives MetroTrade the foundation for that expansion. The commercial result will depend on whether traders use the new functionality, whether the supported contracts have sufficient liquidity, and whether the broker can make complex strategies accessible without presenting options as a simple extension of futures trading.
FAQ
What did MetroTrade add to its trading platform?
MetroTrade added CME-listed options on futures to its retail trading platform through an expanded partnership with Devexperts. The platform now provides clients access to futures and related options from the same account and interface, with contracts available across equity indices, energy, metals and other markets.
What volumes did CME Group report in 2025?
CME Group reported a record average daily volume of 28.1 million contracts in 2025, an increase of 6% from the previous year. Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures volume rose 35%, metals volume increased 34%, and gold options reached a record average of 96,000 contracts per day. Average daily volume in E-mini S&P 500 options with between zero and five days remaining before expiration increased from approximately 350,000 contracts in 2021 to 770,000 contracts in 2025.
How does MetroTrade's commission structure work?
MetroTrade advertises commissions starting at $0.29 per side for micro contracts, intraday margins from $50 on selected products and no platform fee. The broker entered the US futures market in 2023 with a proposition based on low commissions, low intraday margin requirements and a web and mobile platform that traders could use without purchasing separate software.
