ASX options market value Australia 2020-2024, by type

Coinciding with the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the value of options traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) spiked in March 2020, reaching 6.5 billion Australian dollars for the month. While the volume of options traded on the ASX also spiked this this month, it is notable that the spike in terms of value was much greater than in terms of volume. It is also notable that the overwhelming majority of the spike in this month came from call options - which enable the option holder to purchase a financial instrument (like shares) for an agreed price at a date in the future. By contrast, put options enable holders to sell a financial instrument at an agreed value in the future. This suggests that the increased value for this month was driven by investors trying to protect their position from the economic fallout of the pandemic.

By May 2024, the total value of options traded on the ASX had fallen to around 1.11 billion Australian dollars.