PANews reported on June 12 that, according to Bloomberg, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group announced plans to launch 24/7 trading of WTI crude oil and gold contracts. The new crude oil contract will be one-tenth the size of the existing mini-WTI futures contract and is scheduled to launch on August 30; 24/7 trading of the 1-ounce gold contract will begin on July 26. Both contracts are subject to regulatory review, will be cash-settled, and will be listed on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the New York Mercantile Exchange (COMEX), respectively.

This move comes as 24/7 trading on platforms like Hyperliquid gains popularity, and trading volumes for crude oil-related products surge due to heightened volatility in the energy market caused by the Iran war. Previous reports indicated that Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and CME had pressured US regulators to restrict offshore platforms. Binance has also recently begun offering 24/7 commodity trading.