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What is Change in Open Interest (OI Change)?

Change in open interest (OI change) is the difference between the current open interest of a contract and its open interest at the end of the previous trading day. A positive OI change means new positions were added today; a negative one means positions were closed.

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Reading OI change with price

Price up and OI up: long build-up (new buying). Price down and OI up: short build-up (new selling). Price up and OI down: short covering. Price down and OI down: long unwinding.

OI change in the option chain

Large fresh call writing (high positive call OI change) at a strike suggests new resistance forming there, and large fresh put writing suggests new support. Intraday traders often watch OI change more closely than total OI because it shows today's positioning.

AOC shows OI change for every strike with highlights for the largest values, and the header shows the share of total OI change on the call and put sides.