CBOE to Launch MSCI Index Options on April 21

- MSCI EEM, EAFE Indexes First of Six Planned to Launch in 2015

- In U.S., MSCI Index Options to be Solely Listed on CBOE

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Mar 11, 2015, 08:30 ET

CHICAGO and BOCA RATON, Fla., March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) announced today that it plans to list options on the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM) and the MSCI EAFE Index (EAFE) beginning Tuesday, April 21. The announcement was made this morning during a CBOE press briefing at the Futures Industry Association conference, currently taking place in Boca Raton, Florida.

In December 2014, CBOE Holdings, Inc. announced it entered into a licensing agreement with MSCI Inc., a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, to offer options trading on several MSCI Indexes. Under the agreement, options on the MSCI Indexes will be solely listed for trading in the U.S. on the Chicago Board Options Exchange^® (CBOE^®). Options on the EEM and EAFE Indexes are the first of six MSCI Indexes planned to launch in 2015. Later this year, CBOE also plans to offer options on the MSCI ACWI Index, MSCI USA Index, MSCI World Index and the MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index.

Options on the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the MSCI EAFE Index, two of MSCI's best-known indexes, could become valuable tools for investors looking to efficiently hedge their non-U.S. equity portfolio exposures or to diversify their portfolios. Trading in options on other MSCI Indexes also offers new opportunities to hedge a variety of different exposures.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM) captures large- and mid-cap representation across 23 emerging-market countries. With over 800 constituents, the index covers approximately 85 percent of the free-float-adjusted market capitalization in each country.
The MSCI EAFE Index (EAFE) is recognized as the pre-eminent benchmark in the United States to measure international equity performance. It comprises MSCI country indexes that represent developed markets outside of North America: Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The MSCI EAFE Index is calculated in U.S. dollars on a real-time basis, and its values are disseminated every 60 seconds during market trading hours.

In total, all of MSCI's Indexes are estimated to have more than $9.5 trillion benchmarked to them on a worldwide basis. For more information on CBOE's MSCI Index options, see www.cboe.com/MSCI.

Since creating the first cash-settled index option in 1983, CBOE has been a pioneer and leader in index options trading. Today, CBOE lists nearly 20 broad-based index options and is the exclusive home for options on the S&P 500 Index (SPX), the S&P 100 Index (OEX^®), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJX), and lists options on the NASDAQ-100 Index (NDX). CBOE exclusively offers trading in options on its CBOE Volatility Index^®(VIX^®Index) and a broad array of other volatility-related indexes.

Also, as announced on February 26, CBOE has entered into a licensing agreement with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) to develop and list options based on more than two dozen FTSE and Russell Indexes, including the FTSE 100 (FTSE) and the Russell 2000 Index (RUT). Options on the FTSE and Russell Indexes will only be available to trade in the U.S. at CBOE.

For additional information on CBOE index options, visit: http://www.cboe.com/micro/spx-stock-index-options.aspx.

About CBOE Holdings:
CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is the holding company for Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE) and other subsidiaries. CBOE, the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, continues to set the bar for options and volatility trading through product innovation, trading technology and investor education. CBOE Holdings offers equity, index and ETP options, including proprietary products, such as S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option, and options and futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (the VIX Index). Other products engineered by CBOE include equity options, security index options, Weeklys options, LEAPS options, FLEX options, and benchmark products such as the CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite Index (BXM). CBOE Holdings is home to the world-renowned Options Institute and www.cboe.com, the go-to place for options and volatility trading resources.

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CBOE^®, Chicago Board Options Exchange^®, Execute Success^®, OEX^®, CBOE Volatility Index^®, CFE^®, FLEX^®, LEAPS^® and VIX^® are registered trademarks, and BuyWrite, BXM^SM, Weeklys^SM, CBOE Futures Exchange^SM and The Options Institute^SM are service marks of Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (CBOE). Standard & Poor's^®, S&P^®, S&P 100^® and S&P 500^® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC and have been licensed for use by CBOE and CFE. Nasdaq^® and Nasdaq-100^® are registered trademarks of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and have been licensed for use by CBOE and CFE. Russell^® and Russell 2000^®are registered trademarks of Russell Investments and have been licensed for use by CBOE and CFE. The Russell 2000^® Index is a trademark and service mark of Frank Russell Company, used under license. MSCI^® and the MSCI index names are service marks of MSCI Inc. or its affiliates and have been licensed for use by the CBOE and CFE. Options contracts on any MSCI index are not sponsored, guaranteed or endorsed by MSCI, its affiliates or any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling such MSCI index. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.