Retrieve Historical Total Options Open Interest with MarketXLS

The opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical function helps you effortlessly pull the historical total open interest for an option underlying within Excel. By specifying the date and the type of options (calls, puts, or both), you can quickly analyze market positions for better investment decisions. This function communicates with a backend data source, returning the total open interest on a specific past date while filtering by option type if desired.

Why Use This Function?

• Provides a reliable way to fetch total open interest for a chosen underlying on a specific historical date.
• Helps you compare open interest between calls, puts, or both, enabling deeper insights into market sentiment.
• Eliminates manual data gathering and saves time by automating the fetch of historical open interest data.
• Displays results directly in your Excel spreadsheet for easy analysis and further calculations.
• Essential for options traders and analysts who need quick historical data for strategy testing or post-trade analysis.

How to Use in Excel

=opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical(Underlying, PastDate, Direction)

1. Enter your target stock ticker/symbol (e.g., "AAPL") or index symbol (e.g., "^SPX" without the caret).
2. Specify the date in a valid Excel date format (e.g., 03/15/2023).
3. Provide "CALL" or "PUT" to filter for a particular type, or leave blank ("") / enter "0" to include both.
4. The function returns the total open interest for that underlying on the specified date (filtered by your direction choice).

When no valid license is detected, the function returns a licensing-related message. Also, if data is not available or an invalid format is passed, the function safely returns "NA."

Parameters Explained

Example Usage

Basic Examples

1. Retrieve All Option OI for Both Calls and Puts
   =opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical("AAPL", "03/15/2023", "")
   • This retrieves the total open interest (calls + puts) for AAPL on March 15, 2023.
   • Leaving Direction blank automatically sets it to 0 internally.

2. Retrieve Only Put OI
   =opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical("TSLA", "03/15/2023", "PUT")
   • This pulls total open interest for only puts on TSLA on the specified date.
   • Internally converted to "P".

3. Using a Cell Reference for PastDate
   Suppose you have the date "04/01/2023" in cell B2:
   =opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical("MSFT", B2, "CALL")
   • Retrieves total open interest for MSFT calls on April 1, 2023.

Advanced Scenarios

1. Dynamic Filtering with Drop-Downs
   • Create a drop-down list for “CALL,” “PUT,” or “Both” in cell C2.
   • Reference that cell in your formula:
   =opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical("GOOG", "12/31/2022", C2)
   • This approach makes switching between calls, puts, and both quick and interactive.

2. Pairing with Additional Analysis
   • Combine the result with other Excel functions like IF statements.
   For example, you can compare the total open interest of calls vs puts side by side in separate cells, and conditionally highlight whichever is higher.

3. Trading Strategy Example
   • If you see unusually large open interest for puts historically on certain dates, this might indicate heavy hedging or bearish sentiment.
   • Conversely, large call open interest might hint at bullish speculation.

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

1. Why am I getting "NA"?
   • You may have provided an invalid date, or MarketXLS might not have the data for that symbol/date combination.
   • Check for typos or ensure the date is entered in a valid format.
   • Direction parameter might be invalid (e.g., "CALS" instead of "CALL").

2. What if the function returns "Refreshing"?
   • The data is in the process of updating, and you may need to wait a moment and try again.
   • This feature ensures you get the latest data once the refresh completes.

3. Does this function work with indexes like SPX or NDX?
   • Yes, simply prepend a caret in Excel (e.g., "^SPX") if that is how you usually reference the index. MarketXLS internally adjusts it to "SPX."

4. Can I run this function without specifying a direction?
   • Yes, leaving it blank or entering "0" yields results for both calls and puts combined.

By leveraging the opt_TotalOpenInterestOptionsHistorical function, you can effortlessly monitor historical option open interest for any symbol within Excel. Whether you need a quick historical check on calls and puts or advanced filtering for particular strategies, this function streamlines data retrieval, allowing you to stay focused on making informed trading decisions.