May 2 (Reuters) – CME Group Inc, the world’s largest
futures exchange operator, reported a drop in first-quarter
profit as trading in some of its more lucrative products slumped
and average revenue per trade fell.

Net income declined to $235.8 million, or 71 cents a share,
from $266.6 million, or 80 cents a share, a year earlier, the
Chicago-based company reported on Thursday.

By Ann Saphir

(Reuters) – Traders of short-term interest rate futures continue to expect the Federal Reserve to continue to hold rates near zero for better than two more years, after the U.S. central bank promised to press on with its super-easy monetary policy.

Fed funds futures contracts barely budged after the Fed’s policy-setting panel, ending a two-day meeting, reiterated its plan to continue buying assets until there is substantial improvement in the labor market outlook.

May 1 (Reuters) – Traders of short-term U.S. interest rate
futures continue to expect the Federal Reserve to continue to
hold rates near zero for better than two more years, after the
U.S. central bank promised to press on with its super-easy
monetary policy.

Fed funds futures contracts barely budged after the Fed’s
policy-setting panel, ending a two-day meeting, reiterated its
plan to continue buying assets until there is substantial
improvement in the labor market outlook.

May 1 (Reuters) – Small U.S. businesses cut back on
borrowing a third straight month in March, all but reversing a
short-lived surge after the Federal Reserve launched its
asset-buying program aimed at boosting growth and jobs.

The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index,
which measures the overall volume of financing to small U.S.
companies, fell to 98.5 from an upwardly revised 105.4 in
February, PayNet said on Wednesday. PayNet had initially
reported the February figure at 101.3.

By Ann Saphir

(Reuters) – Small businesses cut back on borrowing a third straight month in March, all but reversing a short-lived surge after the Federal Reserve launched its asset-buying program aimed at boosting growth and jobs.

The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index, which measures the overall volume of financing to small U.S. companies, fell to 98.5 from an upwardly revised 105.4 in February, PayNet said on Wednesday. PayNet had initially reported the February figure at 101.3.