thetaOwl

COST

Costco Wholesale CorporationClose $961.35EOD only
Max Pain
$950.00
Next expiry Aug 21, 2026
Expected Move
±$17.68
1.8% from close
Price Gap
-11.35
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
28
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
1.38
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
4/4
Partial coverage
Published snapshot: Aug 18, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Aug 18, 2026 close
Max Pain — COST
Data as of market close Aug 18, 2026

Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-21 shows max pain at $950.00 (11.35 below spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.

Max Pain Strike
$950.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$17.68
±1.8%
Days to Expiry
3
Calendar days
Total Call OI
31,035
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
40,750
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
1.31
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$961.35
Published close
Consensus
-
Open report for full read

Max Pain by Expiration

Pain by Strike

Drill into expiration
Selected: 2026-08-21
ExpirationMax Pain StrikeLast Updated
2026-08-07$945.008/7/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-08-14$945.008/14/2026, 11:10:09 PM
2026-08-21NextUpdated$950.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-08-28$950.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-09-04$950.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-09-11$955.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-09-18$940.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-09-25$950.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-10-02$970.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-10-16$950.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-11-20$940.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2026-12-18$940.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2027-01-15$940.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2027-02-19$920.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2027-03-19$960.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
2027-06-17$960.008/18/2026, 11:11:25 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-21 at max pain $950.00.
COST pain by strike for 2026-08-21 expiration
StrikeCall PainPut PainTotal Pain
480013650907501365090750
490700013249507501324957750
5001600012850707501285086750
5204400012056347501205678750
5407600011273927501127468750
56010800010514487501051556750
580148000976638750976786750
600194000902896750903090750
620322000832796750833118750
640456000764458750764914750
660596000697362750697958750
680736000631512750632248750
700876000566174750567050750
7201042000501362750502404750
7401258000437562750438820750
7451312000421767250423079250
7501366000406045750407411750
7551420500390483250391903750
7601475500375021250376496750
7651532000359806250361338250
How to Read Max Pain
Compare pin-risk and strike-pressure across expirations from the latest published close.
What max pain measures

Max pain is the strike where option holders would collectively lose the most at expiration, based on open interest across the listed chain.

How traders use it

It is most useful as a possible pinning zone, especially when spot is already trading near a crowded strike into expiration.

What can break it

Strong directional flows, news, or fast spot moves can overwhelm any pinning tendency, so max pain should support a thesis rather than drive it alone.

The closer you are to expiration, the more useful this becomes as context and the less useful it is as a standalone prediction.