Today we are pleased to inform you that the Chicago Board of Trade has signed a landmark agreement with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in which the CME will provide clearing and related services for all CBOT®products, beginning on January 2, 2004. This agreement, which will be called the CME/CBOT Common Clearing Link, will provide all clearing firms and customers with operational, performance bond and capital efficiencies, as well as a combined risk capital pool and other cost savings. It is an historic agreement that is good for our customers and members, our clearing firms, our two exchanges, and the City of Chicago. This move cements Chicago's reputation as the risk management capital of the world.
The overall business objective of the CBOT is to make our exchange a stronger and more competitive marketplace, building off our core values of transparency, liquidity, flexibility and market integrity. The CME/CBOT Common Clearing Link creates the opportunity for our exchange to continue to grow and to develop our marketplace by leveraging a strong partner in the CME, and by creating significant benefits for all clearing firms and market users. Our business model for 2004 will provide members and customers with the most dynamic front-end capability âvia the LIFFE CONNECT®à electronic trading platform -- together with the creativity and innovative practices of the CME's clearing operations.
Our decision to align with the CME on clearing, which was unanimously approved by our Board of Directors, puts the CBOT in a much stronger competitive position. Not only will the CBOT benefit from this agreement in terms of innovative product development and distribution, this consolidation with the CME also will provide significant cost savings for all members, clearing firms and customers.
The increased cost savings and efficiencies will result from interfacing with only one clearing system and one set of procedures and practices. There will be consolidation of internal operations and broader risk offsets for portfolios with CBOT/CME products. There will be netting of settlements and recognition of offsetting cash flows between exchange clearing houses, as well as streamlining allowable collateral types and rules. CBOT products would retain net margining while gaining the benefit of risk offsets between the CME and CBOT.
With this historic agreement, we are driving more consolidation within our industry and delivering more value to market users. The CME/CBOT Common Clearing Link will take those market efficiencies to the next level by offering portfolio margining that takes into account positions at either exchange and reduces performance bond requirements accordingly. Our discussions with Terry Duffy, Leo Melamed and the entire CME leadership and staff were fruitful and demonstrative of the increasingly positive working relationship that exists between two of Chicago's finest and long-standing business enterprises.
For the Chicago Board of Trade to be successful, we must continue to evolve and not just focus on the status quo. We must make business decisions that are in the best interests of our customers and members. By making these far-sighted choices we are allowing our exchange to grow its business and take advantage of the transparency, liquidity, flexibility and market integrity that attract customers to the Chicago Board of Trade every day
Didn't I call this on ET on January 24? Of course it happened much faster then I expected. Watch for the rest of my prediction to come true.