Investors traded a record volume of ICE Brent options in third quarter

HOUSTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) — Investors traded a record volume of ICE Brent options contracts in the third quarter as they rushed to hedge their positions in the volatile oil price environment, the Intercontinental Exchange said on Tuesday. A record 28 million Brent options contracts traded in the third quarter of 2026 on the Intercontinental Exchange. Daily average volumes also hit a record of more than 437,200 contracts, up 63% year-on-year. Hedges, contracts that can be used to lock in prices, provide traders opportunities to profit in times of volatility, and can help producers reduce risk and protect their production from sharp moves in the market. Investors traded 75.1 million ICE Brent options contracts between January and September this year, already exceeding the total for all of 2025, when 62.2 million contracts traded. ICE Brent options open interest was up 18% year-over-year at 4 million contracts. Average daily volume was up 23% year-to-date across ICE Brent futures and options markets. Between July and September, Brent crude futures hit a low of $70 a barrel on July 2 and a high of $110 on September 11, In comparison, Brent crude futures