Expanded hours for CME grain-futures trading is widely seen as inevitable, but the exchange isn't ready to make any official move yet. Amid widespread trader chatter that CME is expanding to 22 hours of trading daily, to start the same day as rival ICE launches its new grain contracts in mid-May, CME has no news to announce today. "We regularly engage with industry participants to discuss ways to enhance our markets," a spokesman says. "We will keep our customers and industry participants abreast of any planned changes, but have nothing formal to announce at this time." Grains currently trade for 17 hours daily, mostly electronically, which is less than many other commodities. (ian.berry@dowjones.com)

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2012 13:59 ET (17:59 GMT)