thetaOwl

FXI

iShares China Large-Cap ETFClose $35.05EOD only
Max Pain
$35.00
Next expiry Jun 5, 2026
Expected Move
±$0.77
2.2% from close
Price Gap
-0.05
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
100
High premium
P/C OI
0.86
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
8.5/10
Bearish tilt
Published snapshot: May 29, 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
May 29, 2026 close
FXI Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 14, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 14, 2026. A newer flow report is available for May 26, 2026.

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Flow Verdict

BiasNeutral-Bearish
Confirmation: Net premium stays negative or builds further (<- $5M) and put volume/OI activity concentrates at $36-$37 while spot moves toward $36-$36.50
Invalidation: Sustained call premium accumulation >$3M with rising call OI at $37-$40 and spot climbs above $38.00
Confidence:
5.5 / 10
base 5.5 (pre-computed): +1 GEX pinning at $37; -0.5 net premium -$3.1M / put OI tilt; +0.5 VIX 18.4

Watch next session: Intraday premium & volume at $37 calls / $37 puts (monitor if call OI flows build vs put defensive buying); Any meaningful put buying at $36 or $35 strikes that increases net premium negative beyond -$5M

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$3.1M bearish (small)

P/C volume ratio: 0.94 — slightly call-favored on volume

P/C OI ratio: 1.08 — put-heavy open interest (positioning skew toward protection)

Flow is mixed: intraday volume slightly favors calls but the OI footprint and net premium are mildly bearish. Dealers show strong positive GEX (+$159.5M) concentrated at $37 which creates a pinning magnet; institutional positioning still carries a put-OI floor in the low-mid $30s suggesting defensive hedging rather than aggressive directional shorting.

Notable Prints

#1
FXI 2026-04-24 $38.00 Call
Vol: 5,208
OI: 108
Vol/OI: 48.2x
IV: 21.5%
Notional: ~$88.5K
Intent: Directional call buying or short-covering by a dealer (fresh calls at OTM strike near short-term resistance)
Dual read: Aggressive buyer (bullish) or market-maker wash covering/sold into a block (neutral)

Read-through: While not huge notional, the 48x vol/OI spike at $38 (3% above spot) is a local bullish signal in isolation — but the trade size is small versus systemic put OI, so treat as tactical call accumulation rather than a regime change.

#2
FXI 2026-04-17 $37.50 Call
Vol: 706
OI: 228
Vol/OI: 3.1x
IV: 21.1%
Notional: ~$7.1K
Intent: Short-dated call activity possibly tied to expiry positioning or a small directional bet
Dual read: Bought (bullish near-term) or an overwriting leg (neutral)

Read-through: Small absolute notional and OI already concentrated at $37; this looks like short-term leverage by a retail/hedge participant or market-maker adjustment ahead of weekly expiry rather than a major institutional ramp.

#3
FXI 2026-04-17 $51.00 Call
Vol: 210
OI: 105
Vol/OI: 2.0x
IV: 139.8%
Notional: ~$2.9K
Intent: Speculative long-dated OTM call punt or volatility play (tiny absolute size)
Dual read: Long call speculation (lottery ticket) or a structured product hedge leg (unlikely given size)

Read-through: Far-OTM with extremely high IV and tiny notional — noise from a volatility-seeking spec rather than institutional directional signal.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: $37 calls show heavy OI concentration (88,995 OI) and near-term call clusters at $38/$40 but premium flow is mixed — limited fresh large call notional today aside from OTM $38 activity.

Put additions: Put OI remains concentrated at $37 (152,503 OI), $36 (117,509 OI), $35 (92,363 OI) and $32 (124,267 OI) indicating institutions retain protective positioning in the mid-$30s. Net premium slightly negative implies some fresh put purchasing or heavier selling of calls into demand.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — GEX is strongly positive (+$159.5M) and near-term GEX concentration is +$202.3M at $37, which aligns with the pinning regime and OI clusters that will tend to stabilize spot around $36-$37.

OI clusters: $37 put/call cluster large on both sides (puts OI=152,503; calls OI=88,995) creates a pin at $37. Call walls at $40 (33,580-66,446 OI across expiries) and put floor at $32-$35 create structural boundaries.

Hedging evidence: Yes — strong evidence of protective put concentration (35-37 strikes) consistent with institutional downside hedging; limited explicit collar flow seen in today's prints.

Max pain context: Max pain is clustered around $36-$37 for near expirations (4/17 MP $36; 4/24 MP $37). With spot above MP but inside EM guardrails, dealers have incentive to pin within that $36-$37 band.

Signal vs Noise

~Heavy near-term OI at $37/$36 is pinning-related (dealer gamma hedging) — not necessarily fresh directional conviction.
~Large put OI at $32 and $35 are structural hedges and long-dated protection, not intraday directional prints.
~Small far-OTM calls (e.g., $51 exp 4/17) and the tiny notional $37.50 prints look like speculative punts or market-maker micro-adjustments — treat as noise relative to the OI footprint.
~Given the weekly expiry (4/17) and pinning regime, some activity is likely expiry rolling/hedge rebalancing rather than new directional positioning.

Key Conclusions

📌Pinning regime centered at $37 — GEX +$202.3M at $37 makes $37 the dominant near-term magnet.
🛡️Put-heavy OI (152,503 at $37; 117,509 at $36; 92,363 at $35) signals institutional downside hedging in the mid-$30s.
⚖️Flow is mixed: volume slightly call-favored (P/C vol 0.94) but net premium is -$3.1M and P/C OI 1.08 — positioning favors protection not aggressive bullish bets.
👀Watch next-session accumulation at $37 strikes and any ramp in put premium at $36/$35 — those would confirm increased downside hedging pressure.
🔁Several prints today are small notional/high vol-OI ratio — treat as hedge rebalances/expiry-related noise, not systemic directional shifts.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 14, 2026.
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