thetaOwl

GLD

SPDR Gold SharesClose $440.46EOD only
Max Pain
$435.00
Next expiry Apr 17, 2026
Expected Move
±$6.68
1.5% from close
Price Gap
-5.46
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
31
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
0.55
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
5.5/10
Consensus signal
Published snapshot: Apr 15, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Apr 15, 2026 close
GLD 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 15, 2026.

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Flow Verdict

BiasMixed
Confirmation: Sustained call-dominant volume (P/C volume <0.8) paired with net premium moving back toward positive (net premium >$0) and spot sustaining above $440
Invalidation: Net premium stays strongly negative (<= -$150M) and spot drops back below $430 with rising put buying into expiring strikes
Confidence:
5 / 10
base 5.0; +1 pinning GEX (dealer buying around near-term pins); -1 net premium strongly negative (large put premium concentration) — net neutral overall

Watch next session: Activity and OI build at $440/$443 calls (short-dated expiries); New premium or volume into $427–$435 puts ahead of 4/13–4/17 expiries

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$236.7M bearish (premium skewed to puts by notional)

P/C volume ratio: 0.74 — call-volume dominant (more calls traded by count)

P/C OI ratio: 0.56 — call OI heavier (structural call positioning exceeds put OI)

On a contracts basis flows are call‑dominant (P/C vol 0.74) and dealer GEX is strongly positive (+$258.8M) creating a pinning regime around the $437–$444 area. However, premium-weighted flow is heavily negative (net premium -$236.7M) driven by large put premium at select strikes/expiries — the result is mixed smart‑money positioning: call activity and dealer gamma support near-term stability, while concentrated put-premium suggests institutional tail/hedge demand that can cap upside or accelerate downside if executed further.

Notable Prints

#1
GLD 2026-04-15 $440 Call
Vol: 1,223
OI: 114
Vol/OI: 10.7x
IV: 23.4%
Notional: ~$448,841
Intent: Fresh directional call buying or a short-dated bullish exposure (near‑term pin participation)
Dual read: Aggressive call buy (bullish) OR sell-side opening as part of overwriting/flow (neutral if matched by offsetting stock/call sales)

Read-through: Significant short-dated call demand 1% OTM aligns with GEX pin concentration at $440 and $443 — suggests dealers will be buying underlying into small dips, supporting a near-term pin around $440–$443.

#2
GLD 2026-04-13 $440 Put
Vol: 1,267
OI: 180
Vol/OI: 7.0x
IV: 25.6%
Notional: ~$614,? (1267 * $4.85 * 100 ≈ $614,?00)
Intent: Short-dated protective put buying or expiration trading/rolls into 4/13
Dual read: Bought puts (tail hedge) OR seller closing/roll (liquidation) depending on accompanying trades

Read-through: Large 4/13 put activity right at the near-term expected-move lower bound indicates institutional defensive positioning into the 4/13 expiry and is consistent with the net premium negative reading.

#3
GLD 2026-04-17 $505 Put
Vol: 600
OI: 100
Vol/OI: 6.0x
IV: 64.4%
Notional: ~$4,011,000
Intent: Large, high-premium put position — likely a long-tail institutional hedge or structured product protection
Dual read: Large protective put (institutional tail hedge) OR part of complex spread (e.g., collar or vertical) being initiated

Read-through: High IV and large notional at a deep OTM put suggests explicit tail-hedging or structured protection; this is a major contributor to the negative net premium and explains premium-weighted bearish signal despite call-dominant contract flow.

#4
GLD 2026-05-01 $439 Call
Vol: 1,430
OI: 389
Vol/OI: 3.7x
IV: 27.7%
Notional: ~$1,537,250
Intent: Tactical call accumulation for May expiry (directional bullish or income-structured buy)
Dual read: Directional call buy (bullish) OR part of a spread/collar financing position (neutral)

Read-through: May-dated call activity at-the-money signals rolling or addition of bullish exposure further out; supports dealer gamma buying around spot into early May.

#5
GLD 2026-04-17 $427 Put
Vol: 884
OI: 227
Vol/OI: 3.9x
IV: 29.7%
Notional: ~$238,? (884 * $2.70 * 100 ≈ $238,?00)
Intent: Protective short-term put accumulation (2% OTM) — defensive positioning into mid‑April
Dual read: Bought puts (hedge) OR roll from nearer expiry (expiration management)

Read-through: Reinforces defensive put demand in the 427–435 band; combined with near-term GEX concentration it implies dealers will be active supporting spot while institutions buy short-dated downside protection.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Concentrated call additions around $440–$445 (notable 4/15 $440 and many near-term calls at $440/$443) and larger structural call OI clusters at $465–$595 (longer-dated call interest). Short‑dated call OI clusters at $440/$443 indicate tactical bullish or income structures.

Put additions: Premium-weighted put demand concentrated at far strikes and short-dated expiries (notable 4/13 $440 put, 4/17 $505 put, 4/17 $427 put). Large notional at high-strike puts suggests institutional tail or structured hedges.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes/Mixed — Total GEX is strongly positive (+$258.8M) which aligns with call-dominant contract flow and the observed near-term pinning around $437–$443; however net premium negative and large put-premium pockets create conflict, leading to a mixed read.

OI clusters: Near-term call OI clusters: $440 (1,018 OI), $443 (661 OI), $460 (714 OI). Put clusters: $410 (1,232 OI), $433 (837 OI), $400 (698 OI). Structural largest OI: $360 put (100,984 OI floor) and large call walls at $550–$595 for longer term.

Hedging evidence: Clear evidence of protective hedging: short-dated puts (4/13–4/17) around $427–$440 and very large put notional at distant strikes indicate institutional tail hedges or structured collars. Collars minimal explicit, but put buys paired with call sells/OTM call accumulation are plausible.

Max pain context: Max pain pins are rising (current near-term MP $425 → $430), while spot ($437.13) is above MP. Dealers' positive GEX and near-term pin magnets at $437–$443 increase the chance of spot gravitating toward the $440–$443 cluster, but MP across expiries still sits lower ($425–$436), so downside pressure exists if put demand persists.

Signal vs Noise

~Large volumes at 2026-04-13 expiries (4/13 $440 put, 4/13 $435 put) likely include expiration rolls and expiration-hedge activity — not purely fresh directional bets.
~Very large put premium on far strikes listed in Top Premium Flow (e.g., $575, $685, $540 rows) are likely institutional tail hedges or part of structured trades — premium-weighted but not necessarily short-term directional.
~High OI at long-dated high calls (e.g., $550–$595) represent structural positioning and potential call-walls; single-day volume into adjacent strikes may be rebalancing rather than new directional exposure.
~Some short-dated call prints (e.g., $440 4/15) could be market-maker inventory or pin-seeking leg trades; confirm with consecutive session flow before assuming a sustained bullish push.

Key Conclusions

🟡Mixed tape: contract-level flows favor calls (P/C vol 0.74) while premium-weighted flows are heavily put-biased (net premium -$236.7M), creating conflicting signals.
📌Pin risk centered at $437–$443: GEX concentration ($+2.2M at $440, +$1.2M at $443, +$800K at $437) and dealer GEX +$258.8M make the $440–$443 zone the primary near-term magnet.
🛡️Institutions buying protection: large short-dated put prints (4/13 $440, 4/17 $427 and a big 4/17 $505 put) point to active hedging/tail protection that could accelerate downside if built further.
🐂Dealer behavior supportive: positive GEX implies dealers buy into dips near the pin levels, providing a near-term technical floor around $433–$440, unless put-demand intensifies.
⚖️Watcher action: monitor new premium flow (not just contract counts) — if net premium remains strongly negative into the next session, treat the market as skewed to protective flows despite call-heavy volume.

Read the Flow analysis for GLD for 2026-04-10. Each report is a market-close snapshot with regime read, key levels, and strategy context that translates options positioning into an actionable setup.