NYMEX $30 crude put interest up as futures fall

摘要

New York-With NYMEX crude futures hitting 12-year lows this week, traders have piled into options contracts to guard against further slides. The most popular NYMEX March crude option is the $30/b put, which saw open interest surge Wednesday by 26% to 31,048 contracts when oil prices tumbled. As of Thursday, open interest stood at 32,656 contracts. Puts provide owners with the right, but not the obligation, to sell crude futures at potentially above-market-rate prices.