CBOE to Apply VIX Methodology to Individual Equity Options

CHICAGO, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) today announced that for the first time it will apply its CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX®) methodology to options on individual stocks when it begins publishing volatility values on five highly active equities on Friday, January 7. CBOE will calculate values for Apple (ticker symbol: VXAPL), Amazon (ticker symbol: VXAZN), IBM (ticker symbol: VXIBM), Google (ticker symbol: VXGOG), and Goldman Sachs (ticker symbol: VXGS).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100707/CBOELOGO-a)

The new benchmarks are designed to measure the expected volatility of the respective individual equities.

CBOE may expand the list of individual equities on which volatility values would be calculated in the future, depending on demand.  

"As the leader in the volatility space, CBOE looks forward to expanding its suite of volatility benchmarks to individual equities, giving both personal and institutional investors the ability to track individual stock volatility for the first time," CBOE Chairman and CEO William Brodsky said. "CBOE has been extremely successful in developing highly-acclaimed volatility measures linked to stock indexes and to other asset classes including gold and oil. Applying our methodology to individual equity options is the next logical next step."  

Values on the five new volatility benchmarks on individual equities will be disseminated daily through CBOE's website -- www.cboe.com/EquityVIX -- as well as through all major data vendors.

The CBOE, known as the home of volatility indexes, currently publishes data on 13 different volatility-related benchmarks and strategies.  Most recently, it has applied its VIX methodology to commodity-related ETFs and options on commodity futures:

• In the summer of 2008, CBOE applied the VIX methodology to gold with the CBOE Gold ETF Volatility Index (symbol: GVZ) or "Gold VIX," to oil with the CBOE Crude Oil ETF Volatility Index (symbol: OVX) or "Oil VIX," and to the Euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate with the CBOE EuroCurrency ETF Volatility Index (EVZ). CBOE plans to begin trading GVZ options and futures in the first half of 2011, pending regulatory approval.
• In September 2010, CBOE created and began disseminating calculations on two volatility benchmark indexes based on options on futures contracts: the CBOE/NYMEX WTI Volatility Index (ticker symbol OIV) and the CBOE/COMEX Gold Volatility Index (ticker symbol GVX). OIV and GVX were the first in a series of new volatility benchmark indexes to be created as a result of the licensing agreement between CBOE and CME Group.

Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, continues to set the bar for options trading through product innovation, trading technology and investor education. CBOE offers equity, index and ETF options, including proprietary products, such as S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option, and options on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). Other products engineered by CBOE include equity options, security index options, LEAPS options, FLEX options, and benchmark products such as the CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite Index (BXM). CBOE's Hybrid Trading System incorporates electronic and open-outcry trading and is powered by CBOEdirect, a proprietary, state-of-the-art electronic platform that also supports the CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE), CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX) and OneChicago. CBOE is home to the world-renowned Options Institute and www.cboe.com, named "Best of the Web" for options information and education.

CBOE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBOE Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBOE), is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with all trades cleared by the AAA-rated Options Clearing Corporation (OCC).    

CBOE-OE

CBOE®, Chicago Board Options Exchange®, CBSX®, CBOE Stock Exchange®, CFE®, CBOEdirect®, FLEX®, Hybrid®, LEAPS®, CBOE Volatility Index® and VIX® are registered trademarks, and BuyWrite(SM), BXM(SM), SPX(SM), EVZ, GVZ, OVX, CBOE Futures Exchange(SM) and The Options Institute(SM) are servicemarks of Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (CBOE).  Standard & Poor's®, S&P® and S&P 500® are registered  trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by CBOE.  All other trademarks and servicemarks are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains statements which may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without limitation, statements regarding operating strategies, future plans and financial results. Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "may", "possible", "predict", "project" or similar words, phrases or expressions. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of the date of this press release. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 under the heading "Forward-Looking Statements" and/or "Risk Factors". Such discussions regarding risk factors and forward-looking statements are incorporated herein by reference.

SOURCE Chicago Board Options Exchange

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