CME Group Q2 earnings beat, buoyed by second-highest trading volume

CME Group's (CME) Q2 earnings and revenue contributed to record first-half 2026 performance as the marketplace experienced its second-highest trading volume during the quarter, only outdone by its Q1 performance.

Q2 adjusted EPS of $3.00, beating the average analyst estimate of $2.91, fell from $3.36 in Q1 and rose from $2.96 in last year’s Q2.

Revenue of $1.71B, topping the $1.68B consensus, receded from $1.88B in the previous quarter and increased from $1.69B a year ago.

"We delivered record H1 performance across revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share, all of which were powered by record trading in Q1 and our second-highest Q2 volumes ever," said Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy.

Furthermore, the company provided more than $95B in daily margin efficiencies in Q2, a new high that represents savings its clients can redeploy in their businesses, Duffy added.

CME Group (CME) stock slipped 0.2% in premarket trading.

Q2 clearing and transaction fees dropped to $1.35B from $1.54B in Q1 and $1.39B in Q2 2025.

Market data and information services revenue grew to a record $238.1M from $224.1M in the prior quarter and $198.1M in the year-ago period.

Average daily volume of 29.8M contracts, its third highest quarterly ADV, declined from 36.2M contracts in Q1 and 30.2M in last year’s Q2. The average rate per contract increased to $0.678 in Q2 from $0.652 in the prior quarter but fell from $0.690 in the year-ago period.

Total expenses of $599.1M rose from $570.4M in the prior quarter and $562.7M a year ago.

Conference call at 8:30 AM ET.