thetaOwl

ADBE

Adobe Inc.Close $253.37EOD only
Max Pain
$250.00
Next expiry May 22, 2026
Expected Move
±$7.72
3.0% from close
Price Gap
-3.37
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
50
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
0.74
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
4/4
Partial coverage
Published snapshot: May 20, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

This page reflects ADBE options positioning from the latest published market-close snapshot. Intraday price and contract changes are not displayed.

Published Snapshot
May 20, 2026 close
ADBE Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 2, 2026

Historical consensus-supported lens with full content, report chain context, and metric rail.

Flow Verdict

BiasNeutral-to-Bearish
Confirmation: Net premium outflows continue, especially at near-term put strikes ($230-$240), with spot breaking below $240.
Invalidation: Spot reclaims $245 with strong call buying and net premium flipping positive.
Confidence:
5.5 / 10
base 5; +0.5 bearish premium flow persists; -1.0 P/C volume ratio now call-dominant; +1.0 large, concentrated bearish prints; +0 GEX/DEX aligned

Watch next session: Flow around the $235-$240 put strikes for 4/10 expiry; Any aggressive call buying to defend the $245 max pain level

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$27.1M bearish

P/C volume ratio: 0.69 — call-dominant

P/C OI ratio: 0.73 — moderate call lean

A contradictory picture: net premium remains bearish, driven by massive single-strike put purchases, but overall volume is call-skewed. The flow is dominated by a few large, bearish institutional hedges, while the broader tape shows call activity, likely retail or shorter-term positioning.

Notable Prints

#1
ADBE 4/10/26 $230 Put
Vol: 1,118
OI: 233
Vol/OI: 4.8x
IV: 38.6%
Notional: ~$25.8M (1118 * $230 * 100)
Intent: Fresh directional put buying or protective hedge
Dual read: Bought (bearish) or sold (income, less likely given IV and strike below spot)

Read-through: This is the most significant bearish signal. High volume and notional value targeting a ~5.3% drop from spot within 8 days. The 38.6% IV suggests buying pressure, not selling for premium.

#2
ADBE 4/10/26 $235 Put
Vol: 1,108
OI: 121
Vol/OI: 9.2x
IV: 37.3%
Notional: ~$26.0M (1108 * $235 * 100)
Intent: Fresh directional put buying or protective hedge
Dual read: Bought (bearish) or sold (income)

Read-through: Paired with the $230P, this forms a concentrated bearish bet for the 4/10 expiry. The extremely high vol/oi ratio indicates new, aggressive positioning. Targets a ~3.3% drop.

#3
ADBE 9/18/26 $240 Put
Vol: 1,549
OI: 723
Vol/OI: 2.1x
IV: 42.9%
Notional: ~$37.2M (1549 * $240 * 100)
Intent: Longer-dated protective put purchase or bearish speculation
Dual read: Bought (bearish hedge) or sold (covered put/write)

Read-through: A large, longer-dated downside bet. The 42.9% IV is elevated, consistent with buying. This could be an institution hedging a long equity position out to September, signaling concern over a multi-month horizon.

#4
ADBE 4/10/26 $240 Call
Vol: 1,037
OI: 284
Vol/OI: 3.6x
IV: 38.7%
Notional: ~$24.9M (1037 * $240 * 100)
Intent: Near-the-money call buying or call spread leg
Dual read: Bought (bullish) or sold covered call (neutral/bearish)

Read-through: Contradicts the heavy put flow. Could be a bullish bet for a bounce, a hedge against short puts, or part of a complex spread (e.g., call calendar, diagonal). Its presence alongside massive put buying creates the mixed flow regime.

#5
ADBE 4/2/26 $245 Call
Vol: 1,062
OI: 525
Vol/OI: 2.0x
IV: 10.2%
Notional: ~$26.0M (1062 * $245 * 100)
Intent: 0DTE speculation or pin play at max pain
Dual read: Bought (pin to $245) or sold (expecting rejection at $245)

Read-through: Pure expiration play. With spot at $242.92 and max pain at $245, this is likely traders betting on a last-minute push to the pin. It's noise for directional intent beyond today.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Minimal. Some activity at $240C (4/10) and $320C (11/20), but dwarfed by put premium.

Put additions: Concentrated at $230P & $235P (4/10) and $240P (9/18). Large notional, high-IV purchases indicative of hedging or directional bearish bets.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — Positive but small GEX (+$0.2M, pinning/mean-reverting) aligns with spot being at max pain. The bearish flow (negative premium) is from large OTM puts which have less gamma impact.

OI clusters: Major put walls at $220 (4,723 OI) and $240 (3,648 OI). Major call OI is extremely OTM ($500, $400). This creates a defined floor near $220 and a distant, likely irrelevant, ceiling.

Hedging evidence: Strong evidence. The large, high-IV purchases of $230P, $235P (4/10), and $240P (9/18) are classic protective put hedging patterns, especially the longer-dated September put.

Max pain context: Spot ($242.92) is at the nearest expiration max pain ($245). The rising MP trend suggests longer-term OI is building at higher strikes ($250+), but near-term pin risk is to $245.

Signal vs Noise

~The 0DTE $245 Call volume is pure expiration noise related to the max pain pin at $245.
~The $350 Put (6/18) unusual print, while notable, is extremely OTM (~44% below spot) and its notional is small compared to the near-term put buys. Likely a tail-risk hedge, not a primary directional signal.
~The massive net premium outflows at OTM strikes like $360 and $350 (from Top Premium Flow) are likely continuations of the large, long-dated hedging seen in the prior report, not new aggressive selling today.

Key Conclusions

⚠️Flow is dominated by a few large, bearish institutional hedges ($230P, $235P, $240P), creating significant net premium outflows.
🤼Contradiction: Call volume leads (P/C 0.69), but put premium dominates. Suggests retail/short-term call activity vs. institutional put hedging.
🛡️Institutions are actively buying downside protection for April and September, indicating elevated near-to-medium-term risk perception.
📌Spot pinned at max pain ($245) with a strong put wall at $220. Downside appears more defined than upside near-term.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 2, 2026.
What the reports do

Each report translates the same market-close options snapshot into a specific lens such as directional bias, premium-selling posture, flow quality, or earnings setup.

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What to remember

These are interpretation layers, not execution guarantees. Validate the setup against chain liquidity, expected move, and exposure before sizing risk.

If the report conviction and the raw data disagree, slow down and resolve the mismatch before sizing risk.