OIC Celebrates 25th Anniversary as Leading Provider of Unbiased Options Education
CHICAGO (September 7, 2017) - The Options Industry Council (OIC) 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 as a resource to increase 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.
OIC provides a variety of educational offerings including a website (OptionsEducation.org), 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.
About OIC
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, OIC is an industry resource provided by OCC, the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Its mission is to provide free and unbiased education to retail investors, financial advisors and institutions about the benefits and risks of exchange-listed options. OIC offers education which includes webinars, online classes, podcasts, videos, investing tools, and live help. OIC’s Roundtable is OIC’s advisory group and is comprised of representatives from the exchanges, member brokerage firms and OCC. For more information on the educational services OIC provides for investors, visit www.OptionsEducation.org.
Media Contact
Michael Shore
312-322-1150
Mshore@theocc.com