CME trade business digital tracking boardWhat was a mainstay of grain and other commodity trading will soon be no longer. The agricultural options trading pits on the once-bustling CME Group trading floor are going to permanently close soon. The options pits were open and active for 173 years until their March 2020 closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement of their permanent closure comes alongside CME Group plans to delist full-size floor-based S&P 500 futures and options trading in mid-September following the expiration of the September 2021 contracts. The move continues the trend of transitioning to electronic trading for the vast majority of commodities and contracts. Open-outcry trading veterans say though they’re saddened by the move, but they’re not surprised given how much of the trade has already moved to electronic trading. See more on the changes coming.