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Open Interest
The total value of outstanding derivative contracts that have not yet been closed or settled.
Open interest is the total value (or number) of derivative contracts, such as futures or perpetual swaps, that remain open and haven't yet been closed, settled, or expired.
It's commonly used alongside price and volume as a general indicator of how much active leveraged positioning exists in a given market.
Examples
- Rising open interest alongside rising price can indicate growing leveraged long positioning.
- Open interest measures currently outstanding contracts, distinct from total trading volume over a period.