CME Group third-quarter revenue rises to $1.7 billion, a record for Q3

CME Group Inc. (CME) said Wednesday that third-quarter revenue rose to $1.7 billion from a year earlier, a third-quarter record, as trading volume climbed. The company said in a filing that the results were released in a press release dated Oct. 21.

Here's how the company did:

• Revenue: $1,737.3 million vs. $1,537.6 million a year earlier
• Operating income: $1,141.4 million vs. $972.6 million a year earlier
• Adjusted operating income: $1,205.5 million vs. $1,051.0 million a year earlier
• Net income: $1,036.9 million vs. $908.0 million a year earlier
• Diluted earnings per share: $2.89 vs. $2.49 a year earlier
• Adjusted diluted earnings per share: $3.02 vs. $2.68 a year earlier

The company also reported adjusted results, which it said exclude items such as restructuring and severance, amortization of purchased intangibles and litigation matters. Adjusted net income was $1,083.9 million, against $978.4 million a year earlier.

Preferred shares of 4,584,000 were all converted to Class A common stock on March 5, 2026, and their weighted-average impact is included in diluted shares starting in the first quarter of 2026.

Average daily volume reached 29.4 million contracts, a third-quarter record, the company said. That compares with 25.3 million a year earlier, across 64 trading days in each quarter.

Non-U.S. average daily volume reached 9 million contracts, a third-quarter high. Interest rate contracts averaged 15.1 million a day, against 13.4 million a year earlier, and equity index contracts averaged 7.7 million, against 6.3 million.

“As uncertainty intensified in Q3, clients turned to CME Group in record numbers to manage risk and capitalize on opportunities,” said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy.

“We also made strong progress in our cloud migration, making CME Group the only exchange to offer clients the choice of both co-location and cloud-managed services to expand access to our markets for years to come,” Duffy said.

Clearing and transaction fees revenue totaled $1.4 billion, or $1,378.1 million, up from $1,227.9 million a year earlier. The total average rate per contract was $0.679, against $0.702 in the year-earlier quarter.

Market data and information services revenue was a record $243 million, up 20% from a year earlier. Other revenue was $116.1 million, up from $107.2 million.

Total expenses were $595.9 million, up from $565.0 million. Licensing and other fee agreements rose to $104.2 million from $81.6 million, while compensation and benefits fell to $234.3 million from $237.6 million.

Restructuring and severance costs were $5.4 million, against $6.5 million a year earlier.

Investment income was $1,418.1 million, down from $1,548.7 million a year earlier. Income before income taxes was $1,354.8 million, against $1,177.0 million, and the income tax provision was $317.9 million, against $269.0 million.

For the first nine months of 2026, revenue was $5,323.6 million, against $4,871.9 million, and net income was $3,233.0 million, against $2,889.3 million. Diluted earnings per share were $8.96, against $7.92.

As of Sept. 30, 2026, the company had $2.4 billion in cash, including $225 million deposited with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, and $3.4 billion of debt.

The company returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders during the quarter, including $465 million in regular quarterly dividends and $524 million in share repurchases.

The release did not include financial guidance for future periods. The company said it would hold a question-and-answer call on the results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, with a live audio webcast on its investor relations website.