thetaOwl

MRK

Merck & Company, Inc.Close $129.56EOD only
Max Pain
$120.00
Next expiry Jul 10, 2026
Expected Move
±$4.03
3.1% from close
Price Gap
-9.56
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
19
Low premium
P/C OI
0.81
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
No reports available
Published snapshot: Jul 2, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Jul 2, 2026 close
Max Pain — MRK
Data as of market close Jul 2, 2026

Nearest listed expiration 2026-07-10 shows max pain at $120.00 (9.56 below spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.

Max Pain Strike
$120.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$4.03
±3.1%
Days to Expiry
8
Calendar days
Total Call OI
4,965
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
2,648
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
0.53
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$129.56
Published close
Consensus
-
Open report for full read

Max Pain by Expiration

Pain by Strike

Drill into expiration
Selected: 2026-07-10
ExpirationMax Pain StrikeLast Updated
2026-06-26$116.006/26/2026, 11:22:57 PM
2026-07-02$122.007/2/2026, 11:22:08 PM
2026-07-10NextUpdated$120.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-07-17$116.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-07-24$100.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-07-31$113.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-08-07$122.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-08-21$115.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-09-18$100.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-10-16$115.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2026-12-18$105.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2027-01-15$100.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2027-03-19$115.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
2027-06-17$80.007/3/2026, 11:18:24 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-07-10 at max pain $120.00.
MRK pain by strike for 2026-07-10 expiration
StrikeCall PainPut PainTotal Pain
95055792005579200
100042557004255700
101039926003992600
102037298003729800
103034676003467600
104032077003207700
105029480002948000
106026887002688700
10710024595002459600
10820022378002238000
10930020274002027700
11040018200001820400
11160016167001617300
112170014369001438600
113300012615001264500
114820010899001098100
11517800921700939500
11633600758200791800
11771400627800699200
118114200506700620900
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.