thetaOwl

IWM

iShares Russell 2000 ETFClose $291.66EOD only
Max Pain
$289.00
Next expiry Jun 3, 2026
Expected Move
±$2.17
0.7% from close
Price Gap
-2.66
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
23
Low premium
P/C OI
2.61
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
6.5/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: Jun 2, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Jun 2, 2026 close
IWM Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 17, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 17, 2026. A newer flow report is available for May 26, 2026.

View latest report

Flow Verdict

BiasBullish
Confirmation: Large positive GEX (+$535M) and pinning gamma around 277 with big call OI; VIX moderate supports carry.
Invalidation: Spot drops below the concentrated put strikes (≈271–275) or VIX spikes with sustained options-selling flow reversal.
Confidence:
8 / 10
base 5; +2 GEX/flow strongly aligned; +1 GEX positive (pinning); -1 spot 6.9% from MP; +1 VIX 17

Watch next session: Spot vs MP near 271–277; Unusual put volume at 271–275; VIX moves >20; Dealer delta hedging/DEX flow

Flow Summary

Net premium: +$86.0M bullish

P/C volume ratio: 1.43

P/C OI ratio: 2.67

Dealers net long gamma/pin near 277; positive GEX dominates despite heavy put prints—risk if spot breaks below 271–275 or volatility surges.

Notable Prints

#1
IWM 2026-04-17 $275.00 Put
Vol: 76,328
OI: 105
Vol/OI: 726.9x
IV: 3.3%
Notional: ~$76K
Intent: ambiguous — large print; motive unclear without size/contra/OI
Dual read: could be speculative short or protective hedge

Read-through: indicates notable activity at that strike near the 2026-04-17 expiry (historical)

#2
IWM 2026-04-17 $272.00 Put
Vol: 26,452
OI: 255
Vol/OI: 103.7x
IV: 12.1%
Notional: ~$26K
Intent: Unclear flow intent

Read-through: Needs contextual interpretation.

#3
IWM 2026-04-20 $272.00 Put
Vol: 24,198
OI: 298
Vol/OI: 81.2x
IV: 14.9%
Notional: ~$1.0M
Intent: Unclear flow intent

Read-through: Needs contextual interpretation.

#4
IWM 2026-04-20 $279.00 Call
Vol: 12,037
OI: 164
Vol/OI: 73.4x
IV: 13.2%
Notional: ~$506K
Intent: Unclear flow intent

Read-through: Needs contextual interpretation.

#5
IWM 2026-04-20 $277.00 Call
Vol: 13,262
OI: 217
Vol/OI: 61.1x
IV: 13.6%
Notional: ~$1.3M
Intent: Unclear flow intent

Read-through: Needs contextual interpretation.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Notable call buys clustered at 277–280 (4/17–5/01); concentrated OI at 277 may reflect positioning but could be opportunistic selling into size as well.

Put additions: Heavy put prints at 271–275 (4/17) and 272 (4/20); large short-dated put flow below spot could be downside protection or directional bearish bets.

GEX/DEX consistency: Positive GEX (+$535M) and DEX (+192M shares) are consistent with net call skew, but do not prove directional intent—supports possible pinning pressure toward nearby strikes.

OI clusters: Largest OI: 277 calls (OI 3,766) and a 271–275 put cluster (~125k put OI, ~9% below spot); gamma flip estimated near ~250.

Hedging evidence: Flow shows signs of hedging (short-dated put buying, some call selling) yet large put OI can also represent directional speculation; treat hedging inference as possible, not definitive.

Max pain context: Spot ~6.9% above MP; outcome could be pinning toward mid-270s into expiries, but conviction is reduced by noisy/low-IV prints.

Signal vs Noise

~Signal: large 4/17 short-dated put and 277 call blocks point to institutional activity and potential pinning risk.
~Signal: GEX positive and DEX inflows align with net call-side dealer gamma exposure.
~Noise: 3 of ~12 sizable prints show tiny IV/last (≈0.01) or sweeps—these low-IV trades lower conviction and may be routing/leg adjustments.

Key Conclusions

📌Possible pinning toward mid-270s given concentrated short-dated put OI and 277 call interest; not certain.
🛡️Flow could indicate hedging (protective puts/call sells) but large put OI might also be directional bearish exposure.
📈Positive GEX/DEX support limited upside; dealers appear gamma-exposed, increasing chance of gravitation toward MP into expiry.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 17, 2026.
What the reports do

Each report translates the same market-close options snapshot into a specific lens such as directional bias, premium-selling posture, flow quality, or earnings setup.

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Reports are most useful for narrowing the playbook, surfacing entry and risk context, and deciding which raw data page to inspect next.

What to remember

These are interpretation layers, not execution guarantees. Validate the setup against chain liquidity, expected move, and exposure before sizing risk.

If the report conviction and the raw data disagree, slow down and resolve the mismatch before sizing risk.