Founded in 1848 by 82 Chicago merchants, CME Group subsidiary the Chicago Board of Trade, provides a diverse mix of financial and commodity futures and options. More than 3,600 CBOT members trade 50 different futures and options products at the exchange through open auction and/or electronically and 1,400 members are full members who have trading access to all of the exchange s contracts. The CBOT is a self-governing, self-regulated, Delaware for profit corporation that serves individuals and member firms. There are several types of memberships within the CBOT, which allow access to all or some of the markets listed at the exchange. In its early history, the CBOT traded only agricultural commodities such as corn, wheat, oats and soybeans. Future contracts at the exchange evolved throughout the years to include non-storable agricultural commodities and non-agricultural products like gold and silver.