CME Group, the Chicago-based derivatives marketplace valued at $105.4 billion, is expected to announce first-quarter 2026 earnings on 22 April. Analysts forecast earnings of $3 per share, up 7.1% year-over-year, with the company having beaten Wall Street estimates in its last four quarters. For fiscal 2026, analysts project earnings per share of $11.90, representing 6.3% growth from 2025. CME shares have risen 12.2% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500's 11.9% gain. The company's growth is driven by increased activity across interest rates, energy, metals, agriculture and crypto products, alongside new initiatives including securities clearing and 24-hour crypto trading. Analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating on the stock, with an average price target of $312.50, suggesting 6.4% upside potential.

Donald Trump endorsed prediction markets, saying they "predicted me pretty right... by a landslide" and called them better than "fake polls". His comments come as the industry surpasses $17 billion in monthly volume whilst facing criminal charges and multiple congressional bills. Robinhood Markets CEO Vlad Tenev called prediction markets the company's fastest-growing business, with a revenue run rate exceeding $300 million. Robinhood moved over 4 billion event contracts in January alone. CME Group hit 100 million event contracts traded in eight weeks, powering FanDuel Predicts. Five bills targeting prediction markets landed in Congress this month, including Elizabeth Warren's STOP Corrupt Bets Act. However, analyst Jaret Seiberg called them "messaging bills" unlikely to pass, noting a presidential veto is near-certain.

BMO, CME Group and Google Cloud have announced plans to introduce 24/7 tokenized cash capabilities for institutional clients, launching in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approval. The solution will enable clients to convert US dollars into tokenized instruments for use with margined products at CME Group, operating on Google Cloud Universal Ledger. The platform will support real-time settlement for margin calls, trading and collateral management outside traditional banking hours. BMO also plans to offer tokenized deposits for broader business-to-business payments and treasury applications. As North America's eighth-largest bank by assets, BMO is the first to offer CME Group's tokenized cash solution on Google Cloud's infrastructure. The collaboration aims to modernise capital market efficiency and reduce operational friction for global markets requiring continuous operations.