More significantly in terms of identifying longer-term trends, this record marks the ninth consecutive month that the trading volume has exceeded that of the corresponding month in the previous year.
The volume of exchange traded options was spread across a wide range of underlying shares – an increasing trend in the options market - indicating that the use of options is becoming a common strategy for investors in managing their portfolios day to day, rather than in response to any particular market event or direction.
On a transaction volume basis, retail investors now account for around 65% of trade on the Australian options market.
In addition to this surge in retail activity, the recent successful launch of the S&P/ASX Buy-Write Index demonstrated the ASX’s commitment to providing credible benchmarks for institutional investors in supporting individual investment strategies.
