Economic policy uncertainty and options market participation: Hedge or speculation?

Using data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange 50 exchange-traded fund (SSE 50 ETF) options, we examine the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on options market participation. We find that increased EPU significantly induces investor participation in the options market, and this positive effect remains significant over the following three months. Further investigation shows that EPU significantly increases the ratio of trading volume to open interest in SSE 50 ETF options but has no significant impact on the demand for bearish hedging. Moreover, EPU's stimulatory effect on investor participation is stronger during periods of higher investor sentiment. These findings suggest that increased investor participation in the options market during periods of high economic uncertainty is due to speculative trading rather than hedging.