CME Halts Metals and Natural Gas Futures Trading After Platform Disruption

A CME futures halt temporarily disrupted trading in metals and natural gas contracts on Wednesday after technical issues affected the exchange’s electronic platform.

CME Group said trading in CME Globex metals and natural gas futures and options was suspended following the disruption. The exchange canceled all Day orders and Good-Till-Date (GTD) orders for the session, while previously acknowledged Good-Till-Cancelled (GTC) orders remained active, according to a notice published on its website.

The issue affected contracts across key commodity markets, including benchmark natural gas futures, which were nearing expiration for the March contract. Expiration sessions often see increased volatility and position adjustments as traders roll exposure into later-dated contracts.

CME later announced that natural gas futures and options entered a pre-open phase before trading resumed. The exchange did not immediately disclose the cause of the technical malfunction but said it was investigating the matter.

CME Globex is the primary electronic trading system for CME’s global derivatives markets, handling futures and options across commodities, interest rates, equities and foreign exchange products. Any interruption to the platform can temporarily reduce liquidity and disrupt price discovery across related markets.

Market participants monitored the situation closely, particularly in energy markets, where natural gas contracts serve as key pricing benchmarks for utilities, producers and financial institutions. The disruption occurred during active trading hours, prompting some brokers to issue notices to clients regarding order status and execution conditions.

Trading activity normalized later in the session, according to exchange updates.

The incident follows previous technical interruptions at major exchanges in recent years, which have drawn scrutiny over infrastructure resilience and operational continuity in increasingly electronic markets.

CME shares were little changed following the announcement.