2004 - the year in news: part 1

JanuaryThe scene was set for the year with Eurex US in the final stages of preparations for its February launch, culminating in the recruitment of ceo Satish Nandapurkar from Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). However, it was not all plain sailing for the new exchange as it was forced to delay its opening by a week, and the proposed launch of its transatlantic clearing link until "at least the third quarter".Euronext Liffe became the latest exchange to enter direct competition with another - in this case CME - when it launched Eurodollar futures. FO Week reported a market "sceptical" about the products' prospects.Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT) completed its migration to the Liffe Connect electronic trading platform and to common clearing with CME. Board of Trade officials expressed confidence that a settlement of its minority members dispute would pave the way for a restructuring vote in three to six months. The...