The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Eurex, the Swiss-German electronic derivatives exchange, insisted last week that a/c/e, their electronic trading joint venture, is still on track despite flagging interest in using the system among US derivatives dealers.

After six months of operations, less than 15% of total contract trading volume passes through the a/c/e electronic platform. The remainder of trading liquidity is cornered by the US exchange's open-outcry traders, who are showing little sign of switching their allegiance from the pit to the screen.