CME Group Inc., formerly Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc., is engaged in futures exchange in the United States, for the trading of futures contracts and options on futures contracts, called derivatives. The Company posted trading volume of 1.3 billion contracts during the year ended December 31, 2006. In 2006, its customers, who include its members, traded futures contracts and options on futures contracts with an underlying value of $824 trillion. As of December 31, 2006, its open interest record was 52.5 million contracts set on September 14, 2006. The Company's products provide a means for hedging, speculation and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with, among other things, interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency and changes in the prices of commodities. In July 2007, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings, Inc. and CBOT Holdings, Inc. completed their merger to form CME Group Inc.