Weekly trading volume for stock perpetuals on CEXs hits $141.84 billion, up from $1.8 billion at 2026 start.
Centralized exchanges saw weekly trading volume for stock-linked perpetual contracts surge to $141.84 billion as of August 16, a near 79-fold increase from $1.8 billion at the beginning of 2026. The rise reflects growing investor interest in synthetic stock exposure via derivatives markets.
Open interest in these contracts also climbed sharply, rising from $89 million to $8.29 billion over the same period, marking a 93-fold increase. Trading activity was concentrated in contracts tied to major tech and semiconductor stocks.
The data underscores a rapid expansion in derivatives trading, particularly for assets offering leveraged exposure to equities without direct ownership.