The total number of futures or options contracts of a given commodity that have not yet been offset by an opposite futures or option transaction nor fulfilled by delivery of the commodity or option exercise. Each open transaction has a buyer and a seller, but for calculation of open interest, only one side of the contract is counted. Chicago Board of Trade glossary
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For futures, the total number of contracts not yet liquidated by offset or delivery; i.e., the number of contracts outstanding. Open interest is determined by counting the number of transactions on the market (either the total contracts bought or sold, but not both). For futures options, the number of calls or puts outstanding; each type of option has its own open interest figure. The CENTER ONLINE Futures Glossary
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The total number of derivatives contracts traded that have not yet been liquidated either by an offsetting derivative transaction or by delivery. Related: liquidation. Bloomberg Financial Dictionary
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The total number of futures contracts long or short in a delivery month or market that has been entered into and not yet liquidated by an offsetting transaction or fulfilled by delivery Also known as Open Contracts or Open Commitments.Each open transaction has a buyer and a seller, but for calculation of open interest, only one side of the contract is counted. Chicago Mercantile Exchange Glossary
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The number of contracts left open in the market capable of delivery. With futures, open interest is counted either by taking all of the long positions or all of the short (to take both long and shorts would lead to double counting as they are different sides of the same contract). With options, all long calls and puts or all short calls and puts would be taken. Open interest gives a useful indicator as to the liquidity in the market. High open interest figures suggests greater liquidity, as many who have open positions will wish to offset them before expiry ( expiry date) of the contract. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein financial glossary
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The total number of outstanding option or futures contracts that have not been closed out by offset or fulfilled by delivery. Exchange Handbook Glossary
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The net ( i.e. either long or short) open positions in a particular future or option contract which needs to be either traded out before expiry, or delivered at expiry. LIFFE
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open interest ˌopen ˈinterest noun [uncountable]
FINANCE in futures (= buying a quantity of something for delivery at a fixed date in the future), the number of contracts that are active and have not been cancelled out by contracts in the other direction:
• Open interest in platinum contracts is now fluctuating at record levels.
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A figure for the number of outstanding contracts on a futures contract which are not offset by an opposing futures transaction or fulfilled by delivery. In most cases, the open interest is measured on a daily basis. The figure reflects the degree of liquidity in that contract.
► See also Futures.
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open interest UK US noun [U]
► (also open contracts [plural], open commitments [plural]) FINANCE the total number of futures contracts (= agreements to sell shares, etc. on a particular date in the future) or options contracts (= agreements to buy shares, etc. on a particular date in the future) that have not been finished or cancelled: »
At the beginning of the year, open interest totaled only 148,000 contracts.
Financial and business terms. 2012.