1.   Financial betting-or spread bets on stock indices and individual shares-continued to make the biggest contribution.

2.   Within a few years, feds also will be able to invest in a small-cap and an international stock index fund.

3.   The fair price of the stock index futures contract can be calculated in precisely the same way as with the other contracts.

4.   Thus stock index instruments and short term interest rate instruments based on bank accounts, which are difficult or impossible to deliver physically, are settled by cash.

5.   Since then the CBoT has launched various bond and stock index futures contracts though many have been delisted due to insufficient trading volumes.

6.   With prices falling, the stock index futures were below underlying share prices so index arbitrageurs sold shares and bought futures.

7.   And for its part, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hopes to increase volume and attract investors looking to do one-stop shopping in two more stock index derivatives.

8.   And a drop in American stock index futures, which trade during the night, indicated traders expected further drops in the United States.