thetaOwl

FXI

iShares China Large-Cap ETFClose $37.60EOD only
Max Pain
$36.50
Next expiry Apr 24, 2026
Expected Move
±$0.91
2.4% from close
Price Gap
-1.10
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
100
High premium
P/C OI
1.04
Balanced positioning
Consensus
6.5/10
Range bias
Published snapshot: Apr 17, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Apr 17, 2026 close
FXI Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 10, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 10, 2026. A newer flow report is available for April 17, 2026.

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Flow Verdict

BiasBearish
Confirmation: Continued net premium outflow (net premium stays negative) with P/C volume ratio >1.2 and additional short-dated put buys at $35-$36
Invalidation: Net premium flips positive (>$+3M) or sustained call-dominant volume driving spot above $37 with P/C volume ratio <0.9
Confidence:
6.5 / 10
base 5; +2 GEX/flow strongly aligned (Total GEX -$59.8M, Net premium -$6.6M); -0.5 spot 3.6% above MP

Watch next session: Short-dated put flow at $35/36 (exp 2026-04-17) — new buying would confirm downside bias; Call OI and volume around $37 (pin magnet) — aggressive call buying that lifts spot above $37 would invalidate bearish thesis

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$6.6M bearish

P/C volume ratio: 1.41 — put-volume dominant (meaningful tilt in todays flow)

P/C OI ratio: 1.08 — modest put-heavy positioning already exists

Flow is biased toward downside: net premium outflow is negative and put volume is > call volume (P/C vol 1.41). Dealers are net short gamma (Total GEX -$59.8M) which amplifies moves down and keeps price pressure to the downside. Short-dated put accumulation around $35-$36 looks like protective buying or directional put buying, while large call OI at $37/$40 creates a pin/resistance that may cap rallies.

Notable Prints

#1
FXI 2026-04-17 $36.50 Call
Vol: 5,893
OI: 2,304
Vol/OI: 2.6x
IV: 26.2%
Notional: ~$21.36M
Intent: Short-dated directional call buying or opening call leg (could be dealer-facilitated buy for clients)
Dual read: Aggressive buy (bullish) or dealer unwind/overwrite flow (neutral); context (put-heavy net premium) leans toward one-off short-covering rather than broad bull conviction

Read-through: Large intraday call flow directly against a put-dominant day — notable but not enough to flip bias; likely tactical (options traders chasing short-dated gamma) rather than institutional long-only re-positioning.

#2
FXI 2026-04-17 $36.50 Put (ITM)
Vol: 1,019
OI: 190
Vol/OI: 5.4x
IV: 23.6%
Notional: ~$3.69M
Intent: Fresh protective/ directional put buying (ITM, short-dated hedge)
Dual read: Bought puts (bearish/protective) or closes of short puts (less likely given net premium and PC ratios)

Read-through: Significant relative notional and high vol/OI — consistent with risk-off hedging or directional bearish bets into the short-dated window; this strengthens the bearish flow signal.

#3
FXI 2026-04-24 $37.50 Call
Vol: 463
OI: 111
Vol/OI: 4.2x
IV: 24.5%
Notional: ~$1.68M
Intent: Speculative OTM call buying (lottery) or small directional buys to express upside exposure
Dual read: Fresh call buys (bullish skew) or hedged spread leg (if part of call spreads elsewhere)

Read-through: Size is meaningful for retail/speculative players but small vs institutional clusters; does not offset heavy put flow and negative net premium.

#4
FXI 2026-11-20 $37.00 Put (LEAP-ish)
Vol: 453
OI: 155
Vol/OI: 2.9x
IV: 25.0%
Notional: ~$1.64M
Intent: Long-dated directional put accumulation or strategic hedging (institutional protective put for a multi-month exposure)
Dual read: Bought long-dated puts (structural bearish/insurance) or sold into structured product demand (less likely given vol)

Read-through: Long-dated put activity supports a longer-term protective/hedge narrative vs one-day expiration noise; aligns with broader put-heavy positioning.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: $37.00 and $40.00 area calls show large OI clusters (37.00 call OI=92,862; 40.00 call OI total listed 118,451/75,705 across expirations) — some fresh short-dated call buying today but overall calls are concentrated at $37-$42

Put additions: Heavy short-dated put premium at $35.00 and $36.00 (Top Premium Flow shows $35 net put premium $-4,249,303; $36 net $-2,898,420) and large OI at $37.00 put (152,579) and $32.00 put (120,723) indicate institutions are adding protection between $32-$37

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — negative Total GEX (-$59.8M) and DEX +133.5M shares indicate dealers are short gamma and equity desks net long shares; flow (net premium negative) matches dealer exposure that will enhance downside moves

OI clusters: Calls clustered at $37.00 (92,862 OI), $40.00 (33,581-118,451 OI across expirations), puts clustered at $37.00 put (152,579 OI), $32.00 put (120,723 OI), and $36.00 put (117,509 OI) — these create a near-term resistance magnet around $37 and a put-floor/support band around $32-$36

Hedging evidence: Yes — strong short-dated put premium and ITM short-dated put buys suggest protective hedging; presence of long-dated puts (11/20 $37.00) points to multi-month hedges as well. Little evidence of collared structures (no large simultaneous call sells against puts visible in top flows).

Max pain context: Max pain is $35 (04-10) moving to $36 (04-17) and $37 (04-24). Spot $36.25 sits above near-term MPs; the MP trend is upward which creates a tug-of-war: dealers' negative gamma favors downside while concentrated call OI at $37 acts as a pin/resistance if spot drifts up.

Signal vs Noise

~FXI 2026-04-17 $36.50 Put (ITM) shows high vol/OI but is likely short-dated expiration hedge rather than conviction directional trade — treat as hedge-confirmation, not structural bearish repositioning.
~Large short-dated $36.50 call volume (5,893) may include gamma-chasing or dealer inventory adjustments around expiry; isolated call prints against a put-heavy day should be treated cautiously.
~Far OTM FXI 2026-04-17 $51.00 call (Vol 210, OI 105) is lottery/spec flow (IV 110.9%) — not directional for institutional sizing.
~Long-dated put prints (11/20 $37) can be strategic insurance and should not be conflated with immediate re-risking — they are structural hedges, not near-term drivers.

Key Conclusions

🐻Short-term flow is bearish: net premium -$6.6M with P/C vol 1.41 and negative Total GEX (-$59.8M). Short-dated put buying at $35-$36 is the primary driver.
🔁Max Pain and GEX concentration create a tug: $37 is a strong pin/resistance (GEX +$67.8M at $37.00) while MPs trend $35→$36→$37 over expirations.
🧭Key levels to watch intra-session: support $36.00 (short-dated put cluster/max pain), secondary support $35.00, resistance $37.00 (pin) and then $38.00-$39.00 where call OI stacks increase.
🛡️Evidence of institutional hedging: large short-dated ITM/near-ITM put flow and long-dated put accumulation — expect downside-focused protection activity to persist.
⚖️Dealer posture (negative GEX) will amplify selling pressure on downside moves and create resistance to rallies; watch dealer gamma/hedging flows around $36-$37.
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This flow reflects the market close on April 10, 2026.
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