The Options Industry Council today announced the kick-off of a yearlong celebration commemorating 25 years as the leading educational resource for investors who use or want to learn how to trade U.S. listed options. OIC's mission is to increase the awareness, knowledge and responsible use of exchange-listed equity options among a global audience of individual investors, financial advisors and institutional managers.
"When OIC was formed 25 years ago, the key challenge facing the industry was the public's negative view of options. By raising the visibility of exchange-listed options and providing trusted and unbiased investor education, OIC was able to change that perception. In doing so, we contributed to the increased use of options as a risk management tool," said Mary Savoie, OIC Executive Director. "In 1992, 202 million contracts were traded. In 2017, over four billion contracts were traded. Each of the last six years, the industry has seen over four billion contracts traded, which is 20 times as many as when OIC started."
OIC was formed in 1992 by OCC, the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization, and the U.S. options exchanges as a way to increase greater awareness and understanding of the potential benefits of using equity options to help investors manage their financial risk. At the time, there was a lack of knowledge and a generally negative view of options. The industry came together knowing this perception could be turned around by educating investors on the proper use of options and ensuring they understood both the benefits and risks of this flexible financial tool.
About OIC - OIC provides a variety of educational offerings including a website , webinars, videos, podcasts, trading tools, online courses and live events. OIC's educational programs have evolved over the past 25 years as it has expanded beyond its original focus on individual investors to include wealth advisors and institutional investors, and extended its outreach efforts to Europe. OIC now also serves as an industry advocate by educating regulators and lawmakers about the listed options market, and has become a respected and sought-after source by the financial media. Well-known for hosting live seminars, OIC has transformed its educational platform by moving beyond its program of live seminars to include a more robust digital offering of webinars, videos and podcasts, to appeal to investors who desire on-demand options education.