What Is the Concept of ‘Open Interest’ and How Does It Indicate Potential Options Liquidity?
Open interest is the total number of outstanding, unclosed contracts for a specific options series. It indicates the level of market participation and commitment to that contract.
High open interest suggests a strong existing base of traders, which generally correlates with higher liquidity, tighter spreads, and lower potential slippage. Low open interest suggests the opposite.
It is a forward-looking indicator of potential future liquidity.