OCC announced today that year-to-date total options volume surpassed 4 billion contracts yesterday. This is the first time that U.S. exchange-listed options volume has ever reached this milestone in a single year.
Options volume has continued the high-growth trend of recent years to reach unprecedented levels in 2011. Total options volume hit 3 billion contracts for the fourth time ever on August 23, 2011. Roughly 2 and a half months or 55 trading days later, 4 billion options contracts changed hands on November 9.
“This has been a year when more investors have looked to options for risk management than ever before,” said Michael E. Cahill, OCC President and Chief Operating Officer. “Average volume today is higher than the single highest volume day of just four years ago.”
Year-to-date average daily options volume stands at 18.5 million contracts, about 3 million contracts per day more than the daily average in 2010. Total year-to-date options volume reached 3,921,499,350 contracts on Tuesday, November 1, passing 2010’s annual record volume of 3,899,068,670.
2011 will be the ninth consecutive year a new annual trading volume record has been set.
