This page reflects NICE 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 — NICE
Data as of market close Aug 18, 2026
Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-21 shows max pain at $100.00 (0.44 above spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.
Max Pain Strike
$100.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$5.03
±5.0%
Days to Expiry
3
Calendar days
Total Call OI
4,352
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
5,832
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
1.34
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$99.56
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
2026-06-18
$90.00
6/18/2026, 11:24:45 PM
2026-07-17
$90.00
7/17/2026, 11:21:59 PM
2026-08-21NextUpdated
$100.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:52 PM
2026-09-18
$95.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:52 PM
2026-11-20
$90.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:52 PM
2027-01-15
$140.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:52 PM
2027-02-19
$140.00
8/18/2026, 11:23:52 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-21 at max pain $100.00.
NICE pain by strike for 2026-08-21 expiration
Strike
Call Pain
Put Pain
Total Pain
50
0
21514500
21514500
55
0
18600000
18600000
60
0
15693500
15693500
65
0
12802000
12802000
70
0
9952500
9952500
75
1000
7335000
7336000
80
2000
4945000
4947000
85
6000
3154000
3160000
90
66500
1705000
1771500
95
149000
418500
567500
100
342500
183000
525500
105
751500
102000
853500
110
1485500
55000
1540500
115
2853000
28000
2881000
120
4368500
8500
4377000
125
5975500
2000
5977500
130
7747500
1500
7749000
135
9632500
1000
9633500
140
11626000
500
11626500
145
13689500
0
13689500
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.