This page reflects GCT 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 — GCT
Data as of market close Aug 18, 2026
Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-21 shows max pain at $50.00 (0.93 above spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.
Max Pain Strike
$50.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$2.48
±5.0%
Days to Expiry
3
Calendar days
Total Call OI
2,103
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
14,156
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
6.73
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$49.07
Published close
Consensus
-
Open report for full read
Max Pain by Expiration
Pain by Strike
Drill into expiration
Selected: 2026-08-21
Expiration
Max Pain Strike
Last Updated
2026-06-18
$35.00
6/18/2026, 11:14:34 PM
2026-07-17
$35.00
7/17/2026, 11:18:04 PM
2026-08-21NextUpdated
$50.00
8/18/2026, 11:14:58 PM
2026-09-18
$45.00
8/18/2026, 11:14:58 PM
2026-10-16
$40.00
8/18/2026, 11:14:58 PM
2026-11-20
$45.00
8/18/2026, 11:14:58 PM
2027-01-15
$17.50
8/18/2026, 11:14:58 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-21 at max pain $50.00.
GCT pain by strike for 2026-08-21 expiration
Strike
Call Pain
Put Pain
Total Pain
17.5
0
35519000
35519000
20
0
31980250
31980250
22.5
3250
28441750
28445000
25
6500
24908000
24914500
30
20000
17878000
17898000
35
42000
11434500
11476500
40
256000
5714500
5970500
45
795000
2598500
3393500
50
1568500
4000
1572500
55
2577000
0
2577000
60
3623000
0
3623000
65
4674000
0
4674000
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.