thetaOwl

INTC

Intel CorporationClose $120.89EOD only
Max Pain
$112.00
Next expiry May 29, 2026
Expected Move
±$4.56
3.8% from close
Price Gap
-8.89
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
59
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
1.05
Balanced positioning
Consensus
7.0/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: May 28, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
May 28, 2026 close
INTC 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.

View latest report

Flow Verdict

BiasBullish
Confirmation: Sustained call net premium (net premium stays >$50M) and further call OI/premium build at $65-$70 into next session; spot holding above $65 through morning churn
Invalidation: Net premium flips negative or P/C volume >1.2 and heavy put buying at $60-$64; decisive break below $60.55 (2d EM lower bound)
Confidence:
7.5 / 10
base 5; +2 GEX/flow strongly aligned; +1 GEX positive (pinning); -1 spot 27.6% from MP; +0.5 VIX 18.4

Watch next session: New call premium / OI at $65-$70 (follow fresh buys vs rolls); Put flow or bid up puts at $60.00-$62.50 (dealer hedging trigger around $60.55)

Flow Summary

Net premium: +$111.3M bullish

P/C volume ratio: 0.80 — call-dominant (healthy, not extreme)

P/C OI ratio: 0.97 — neutral OI positioning (calls only slightly favored in OI)

Large, concentrated call buying centered at $65 and $70 has driven a strong bullish net premium ($111.3M) while total GEX is +$135.3M (dealer long gamma/pinning). Put volume is present but not overwhelming; the market shows bullish positioning with dealers likely buying stock on dips around the near-term put clusters, creating a pin magnet in the $65 area.

Notable Prints

#1
INTC 2026-04-24 $70.00 Call
Vol: 28,453
OI: 4,370
Vol/OI: 6.5x
IV: 92.3%
Notional: ~$5.3M
Intent: Fresh directional call accumulation / large buy to the upside into near-term expirations
Dual read: Could be new bullish purchases or dealers shorting calls (overwritten) vs clients selling covered calls; heavy net premium at $70 across expirations supports bullish-buy reading

Read-through: High significance: concentrates dealer short call exposure around $70 (GEX +11.0M at $70) and pushes dealers to hedge by buying stock on up moves, supporting further upside toward the $65–$70 band.

#2
INTC 2026-05-22 $50.00 Put
Vol: 15,244
OI: 316
Vol/OI: 48.3x
IV: 72.9%
Notional: ~$1.6M
Intent: Long-dated protective put accumulation or a structured hedge (portfolio downside protection)
Dual read: Large relative buy could be an institutional tail hedge or a trade-against calling positions; low OI vs very high volume implies fresh buys

Read-through: Institutions are buying long-duration downside protection at $50 — not an immediate directional bet on near-term weakness but evidence of risk-management for larger positions.

#3
INTC 2026-05-01 $63.00 Call (ITM)
Vol: 1,784
OI: 306
Vol/OI: 5.8x
IV: 80.8%
Notional: ~$0.9M
Intent: Near-term directional bullish exposure (ITM call buys) or short-dated roll into May strikes
Dual read: Could be bullish buys or closing/rolling of existing short positions; ITM nature and low OI skew to fresh buyer intent

Read-through: Supports the bullish flow into early-May expirations; those ITM calls increase immediate delta exposure and pressure dealers to buy shares.

#4
INTC 2026-04-24 $55.00 Put
Vol: 12,255
OI: 2,341
Vol/OI: 5.2x
IV: 92.1%
Notional: ~$1.1M
Intent: Short-dated protective put purchases or speculative downside plays around upcoming earnings (earnings on 2026-04-23)
Dual read: Could be hedges bought by long holders ahead of earnings, or speculative put buying anticipating a gap down

Read-through: Short-dated put buying at $55 increases dealer gamma exposure on the downside near the 1-week EM lower bound ($55.84) — dealers will sell stock into weakness to remain hedged.

#5
INTC 2026-05-15 $65.00 Call (premium flow heavy OI)
Vol: 24,506
OI: 37,951
Vol/OI: 0.7x
IV: 62.0%
Notional: ~$8.3M (premium reported aggregate)
Intent: Significant institutional call accumulation at $65 (multi-expiry and multi-leg activity)
Dual read: High OI suggests many are holding existing positions (spreads/rolls) rather than pure new buys, but premium flow shows fresh call interest too

Read-through: Large $65 call concentration is the primary near-term pin magnet (+$23.2M GEX concentration at $65). Dealers will be structurally positioned to buy into dips and sell into rallies around this level.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: $65 and $70 strikes (significant premium and OI concentration across expirations — $65 call OI=37,951; $70 call OI totals 72,044 and 43,351 in listings), plus activity at $63 and $67 showing near-term bullish delta add.

Put additions: Protective/long-dated puts concentrated at $50 (May/Nov 2026) and short-dated puts at $55 (Apr-24) — fresh buys at $50 (May-22, vol/oi 48.2x) indicate tail-hedging, while $55 Apr expiry puts suggest near-term earnings hedges.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — positive Total GEX ($135.3M) and DEX (+199.6M shares) align with bullish net premium $111.3M and call-heavy flow; near-term GEX concentration at $65 (+$23.2M) is consistent with pinning behavior.

OI clusters: $65 call cluster (37,951 OI) and $70 call cluster (43,351–72,044 OI across expirations) create upside walls/pin magnets; put clusters are lower (largest put OI at $35/$40/$50) which create downside catch zones but are further from spot.

Hedging evidence: Clear hedging: short-dated put buying at $55 (12,255 vol) ahead of earnings and long-dated $50 puts indicate protective hedges and tail protection. Limited evidence of widespread collars; most activity reads as directional call buys plus isolated downside hedges.

Max pain context: Max Pain is trending lower (short-term MPs: $50 on 4/17, $54 on 4/24) but current spot ($63.81) sits well above these MPs. Dealer positioning and concentrated call OI (esp. $65) are creating a near-term pin magnet that could keep spot elevated despite longer-term MP drift downward.

Signal vs Noise

~Large $55 Put volume for 2026-04-24 likely earnings hedging (earnings on 2026-04-23) — short-dated protective flows not necessarily directional.
~Heavy $65 call OI (37,951) contains many existing positions — some daily volume at $65 may be expir/roll or spread adjustments rather than fresh directional buying.
~Long-dated $50 puts (May/Nov) are risk-management/tail hedges rather than bets on immediate downside; treat as portfolio protection, not short-term bearish signal.
~Some high IV at near-dated strikes (ATM IV 61.1% for 4/17 and elevated IV in 4/24) suggests flows could be volatility/earnings driven and may reverse post-earnings.

Key Conclusions

🐂Net premium +$111.3M and Total GEX +$135.3M create a bullish, dealer-buying-dips regime centered on $65.
📌$65 is the primary pin/gamma concentration (+$23.2M GEX); expect dealers to anchor price into this band.
⚠️Short-dated $55 put activity is likely earnings hedging (earnings 2026-04-23) — could produce knee-jerk downside and higher IV intraday.
🛡️Long-dated $50 puts show institutional tail protection — large vol/oi ratio indicates fresh buys, not simply rebalances.
🔭Watch fresh call premium/OI growth at $65-$70 next session for confirmation; failure to add premium there or a push of puts at $60 could flip the short-term view.
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This flow reflects the market close on April 14, 2026.
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