This page reflects NDAQ 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 — NDAQ
Data as of market close Aug 18, 2026
Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-21 shows max pain at $92.50 (4.21 below spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.
Max Pain Strike
$92.50
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$1.95
±2.0%
Days to Expiry
3
Calendar days
Total Call OI
2,216
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
4,087
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
1.84
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$96.71
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
2026-08-07
$92.00
8/7/2026, 11:23:09 PM
2026-08-14
$94.00
8/14/2026, 11:21:48 PM
2026-08-21NextUpdated
$92.50
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-08-28
$90.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-09-04
$95.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-09-11
$85.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-09-18
$90.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-09-25
$90.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2026-12-18
$85.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2027-01-15
$82.50
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2027-03-19
$90.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
2027-06-17
$75.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:03 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-21 at max pain $92.50.
NDAQ pain by strike for 2026-08-21 expiration
Strike
Call Pain
Put Pain
Total Pain
60
0
8622000
8622000
65
0
6588000
6588000
70
0
4607000
4607000
72.5
0
3639500
3639500
75
750
2723500
2724250
77.5
3500
1904250
1907750
80
9000
1333000
1342000
81
13700
1139100
1152800
82
18400
945500
963900
82.5
20750
848800
869550
84
39050
695500
734550
85
51250
593600
644850
86
66550
498900
565450
86.5
74300
451750
526050
87
82050
404750
486800
87.5
89800
357800
447600
88
104800
317750
422550
88.5
119800
277800
397600
89
134800
237950
372750
90
164900
158350
323250
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.