what is the options industry council oic 
options industry council oic refers to a cooperative that helps educate investors and financial advisers about the benefits and risks of exchange traded equity options understanding the options industry council oic the oic was established in 1992 by u s options exchanges and the options clearing corporation occ its mission is to increase awareness and educate investors about exchange traded equity options the oic is sponsored by a variety of corporations including nasdaq inc s international securities exchange ise an exchange traded option is a standardized derivative contract this product is guaranteed trades on an exchange and is settled through a clearinghouse investors trade these contracts by buying or selling a specified amount of a financial asset at a pre determined price which is known as the strike price on or before a pre determined date an option to buy is a call and an option to sell is a put understanding and trading these assets may be complicated in order to provide investors with educational tools and demystify options a group of u s exchanges teamed up with the occ to establish the options industry council the oic serves as an educational resource to promote exchange traded equity options it offers online classes in person seminars online webcasts and podcasts to investors and other traders it also distributes educational materials such as dvds and brochures in addition the organization maintains a website and help desk to promote and assist with options education included in the educational material presented on its website are options basics advanced concepts strategies trading tools calculators and market quotes 1the oic is sponsored by corporations including the oic says its educational tools are free and unbiased 3oic resourcesall the information provided by the oic is fully vetted it goes through the appropriate compliance channels to ensure its accuracy before being presented to investors and financial professionals the experienced instructors seek to address the challenges investors face when they trade options 4the oic s information serves three specialist areas 