Monthly trading volumes for US thermal coal futures on the CME Group exchange were mixed in May, according to CME Group data out Friday.
The Central Appalachia rail (CSX) futures contract traded 1,230 times in May, up 35.2% from April but down 74.6% from the year-ago month.
Open interest in the financially-settled CSX contract totaled 3,060 contracts at the end of the month, down 11% from April. Year-ago figures were not available.
The physical front-month price underlying the CSX contract averaged $33.79/st in May, down 1.4% from the prior month and down 24% from the year-ago month.
The financially-settled Powder River Basin 8,800 Btu/lb futures contract traded 330 times in May, down 79.8% from the prior month and down 61.4% from the year-ago month.
Open interest in the PRB 8,800 contract totaled 2,322 contracts at the end of May, down 15.3% from the prior month. Year-ago figures were not available.
The physical front-month price for the PRB 8,800 contract averaged $8.77/st in May, down 4% from April and down 12.2% from the year-ago month.
The physically settled CAPP barge contract traded 25 times in May, down from 35 trades in April. Open interest for the contract at the end of May stood at 30. The exchange is planning to delist the CAPP barge contract after December of this year.
The physical front-month CAPP barge contract averaged $42.80/st in May, down 1.4% from the prior month and down 7.7% from the year-ago month.
No trade data was included for the physically-settled Illinois Basin 11,500 Btu/lb contract, which the exchange launched in October 2014 but has yet to trade.
