CME Group Inc. Authorizes $750 Million Share Buyback Program

CHICAGO, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CME) today announced that its board of directors has authorized a return of capital to shareholders through a share buyback program of up to $750 million of CME Group Class A common stock, subject to market conditions. The buyback program will take place over a period of up to 12 months.

"CME Group is strongly committed to driving growth, and this share buyback program underscores our continued belief and optimism in CME Group's long-term growth prospects," said Chief Financial Officer Jamie Parisi. "We have reached the debt and cash levels outlined in our capital structure guiding principles and remain well positioned to continue to invest in multiple organic growth avenues, while also returning excess capital to shareholders."

Under SEC rules, CME Group will not be able to repurchase shares during certain restricted time periods. The share repurchase plan does not obligate CME Group to repurchase any specific dollar amount or number of shares of its Class A common stock. CME Group intends to conduct any such repurchases in compliance with the applicable provisions of Rules 10b-5 and 10b-18 and Regulation M of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any other applicable laws and regulations.

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate. CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its trading facilities in New York and Chicago. CME Group also operates CME Clearing, one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, which offers clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts, as well as for over-the-counter derivatives transactions through CME ClearPort®. These products and services ensure that businesses everywhere can substantially mitigate counterparty credit risk in both listed and over-the-counter derivatives markets.

CME Group is a trademark of CME Group Inc. The Globe Logo, CME, Globex and Chicago Mercantile Exchange are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and the Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are registered trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect CME Group's business, particularly those mentioned in the risk factors and cautionary statements in CME Group's most recent periodic reports.

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SOURCE CME Group