Cboe Global Markets and MSCI Collaborate to Offer New Index Options and Volatility Indices

• Latest initiative represents Cboe and MSCI's growing relationship and will expand Cboe's current product suite
• Cboe plans to offer three new options tied to MSCI's international, developed, emerging and U.S. markets benchmark indices, set to launch on March 18, pending regulatory approval
• Cboe also introduces two new volatility indices based on existing MSCI Index options and the proprietary VIX Index Methodology

CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today announced a new strategic initiative in collaboration with MSCI Inc. (MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, to expand its suite of Cboe-MSCI Index options and volatility indices. The initiative underscores Cboe and MSCI's deepening relationship and continues to leverage the companies' combined expertise to develop innovative solutions for investors worldwide.

Cboe and MSCI have collaborated successfully for many years to offer a variety of indices and tradable products. In this latest initiative, Cboe will further expand its existing MSCI Index options suite by introducing three new products based on additional MSCI global indices: Cboe MSCI World Index Options (MXWLD), Cboe MSCI ACWI Index Options (MXACW), and Cboe MSCI USA Index Options (MXUSA). These options are set to begin trading on Monday, March 18, pending regulatory approval.  

In addition, Cboe is broadening its volatility index suite with the launch of two new Cboe MSCI Volatility Indices: the Cboe MSCI EAFE Volatility Index (VXMXEA) and the Cboe MSCI Emerging Markets Volatility Index (VXMXEF). Developed using Cboe's proprietary VIX® Index methodology, these indices are based on existing MSCI EAFE Index Options (MXEA) and MSCI Emerging Markets Index Options (MXEF) and are designed to provide a transparent measure of the market's expectation of 30-day implied volatility by these respective MSCI index option classes.

Similar to the VIX Index, which is designed to reflect investors' consensus view of future (30-day) expected U.S. stock market volatility, the new Cboe MSCI Volatility Indices aim to provide comparable measures for international and emerging equity market volatility.  

"In today's rapidly evolving landscape, investors require sophisticated tools to navigate the markets with confidence," said Catherine Clay, Global Head of Derivatives at Cboe. "Our ongoing collaboration with MSCI reflects our shared commitment to fostering innovation and providing solutions that empower investors to better manage risk and seize potential opportunities in the global marketplace. We are excited to expand our Cboe-MSCI toolkit with additional index options and volatility indices – an enhancement that will not only broaden our customers' product choice, but also enrich the ways they interact with and analyze the global markets." Clay added, "Crucially, the three new index options, which cover developed and emerging markets, are expected to also give investors comprehensive access to gain a variety of different exposures around the globe."

The new options will be based on the MSCI World Index, the MSCI ACWI Index and the MSCI USA Index, which are renowned benchmarks for measuring international, developed and emerging markets and U.S. equity performance, respectively. Significantly, both MXWLD and MXUSA options will be based on a fraction (1/100^th) of the value of their underlying index.

With a smaller index value, MXWLD and MXUSA options may be more accessible to a broad base of customers with diverse investment objectives, ranging from asset owners aiming to track benchmark index exposure, registered investment advisers in search of new sources of yield, or individual investors seeking straightforward exposure to options linked to global benchmark indices.

"We are pleased to expand our strategic relationship with Cboe in new offerings that investors around the world can use to help them manage risk and exposure," said George Harrington, Global Head of Derivatives Licensing at MSCI. "The launch of the Cboe MSCI EAFE Volatility Index (VXMXEA) and Cboe MSCI Emerging Markets Volatility Index (VXMXEF) provides the investment community with benchmarks for option investing, and Cboe's launch of options linked to the MSCI World Index, MSCI ACWI Index and MSCI USA Index further develops the ecosystem of tradable products."

MXACW, MXUSA, and MXWLD will have standard options that expire on the third Friday of each month. In response to customer feedback, Cboe plans to also list five end-of-week expirations, which are expected to begin trading on March 21, 2024, pending regulatory approval.

The new index options join the current suite of Cboe MSCI tradable products, which includes the Cboe MSCI EAFE Index Options (MXEA) and Cboe MSCI Emerging Markets Index Options (MXEF). Like these existing offerings, the newly launched options will follow a European-style exercise (no early exercise), are cash-settled (no delivery or assignment of shares) at expiration and may potentially offer favorable tax treatment¹. In addition, the new options are integrated into Cboe's existing infrastructure and will be traded and settled via the same exchange connections and clearinghouse as the current Cboe MSCI index options.

For more information on Cboe MSCI Index options, visit Cboe's website.

About Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX, and digital assets, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com.

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Any products that have the MSCI Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI Inc. or Cboe and neither MSCI Inc. nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have MSCI indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Cboe Global Markets, Inc.  and its affiliates do not recommend or make any representation as to possible benefits from any securities, futures or investments, or third-party products or services. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. is not affiliated with MSCI Inc. Investors should undertake their own due diligence regarding their securities, futures, and investment practices. This press release speaks only as of this date. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. disclaims any duty to update the information herein.

Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice.  Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation.

Cboe Global Markets, Inc.  and  its  affiliates make  no  warranty,  expressed  or  implied,  including,  without  limitation,  any  warranties  as  of  merchantability,  fitness  for  a particular  purpose,  accuracy,  completeness  or  timeliness,  the  results to  be  obtained  by  recipients  of  the  products  and  services  described  herein, or as to the ability of the indices referenced in this press release to track the performance of their respective securities, generally, or the performance of the indices referenced in this press release or any subset of their respective securities, and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies, errors. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates have not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the securities that comprise the third-party indices referenced in this press release and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies or errors in any of the indices referenced in this press release.

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all market participants. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person should review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD), which is required to be provided to all such persons.  Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. 

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Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; global expansion of operations; factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively;  our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; the impacts of pandemics; the accuracy of our estimates and expectations; litigation risks and other liabilities; and operating a digital asset business and clearinghouse, including the expected benefits of our Cboe Digital acquisition, cybercrime, changes in digital asset regulation, losses due to digital asset custody, and fluctuations in digital asset prices. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC.

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¹ Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options." Copies are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation at 125 South Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606 or at www.theocc.com.

SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc.