Briefly

Shares of CBOT Holdings Inc., which operates the Chicago Board of Trade, will begin trading today after the firm launched its initial public offering at $54 a share late Tuesday, above its forecast range of $45 to $49.

The offering of 3.2 million shares raised a total of $173 million. The company sold a 6.1% stake to the public.

The Chicago Board of Trade is the nation’s No. 2 futures and commodities market, after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The latter went public in 2002 and its stock has been a phenomenal performer -- soaring from $35 at the offering to $330.95 as of Tuesday -- amid a boom in futures and commodities trading.

CBOT Holdings will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BOT.