thetaOwl

NOW

ServiceNow, Inc.Close $99.92EOD only
Max Pain
$98.00
Next expiry May 29, 2026
Expected Move
±$5.17
5.2% from close
Price Gap
-1.92
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
45
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
0.79
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
7.0/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: May 26, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
May 26, 2026 close
NOW Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 10, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 10, 2026. A newer flow report is available for May 26, 2026.

View latest report

Flow Verdict

BiasBearish
Confirmation: Continuation of net premium negative (net premium stays < -$100M) with P/C volume ratio >1.0 and spot failing to reclaim $89.03 (7d EM upper bound).
Invalidation: Net premium flips positive toward >$0 with P/C volume ratio <0.9 and sustained trade above $89.03 (7d EM upper).
Confidence:
6 / 10
base 5; +2 GEX/flow strongly aligned; -1 spot 17.8% from MP

Watch next session: Heavy put volume or bid push at $85-$90 strikes (watch $85 PUT prints/flow); Any meaningful call buying that reduces net premium negativity (monitor $80-$90 call premium flow)

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$145.7M bearish

P/C volume ratio: 1.18 — put-dominant volume

P/C OI ratio: 0.83 — OI still biased to calls (call OI > put OI) but today's flow is put-heavy

Today is a large net-put day: heavy premium flowed into puts (net premium -$145.7M) while overall OI remains more concentrated in calls. Dealers are net short gamma (Total GEX -$14.3M) so put-heavy flow amplifies downside pressure; the most active strikes are clustered at/just above the spot ($85-$90) suggesting tactical protective buying or directional put accumulation rather than long-dated call accumulation.

Notable Prints

#1
NOW 2026-04-17 $85.00 Call
Vol: 16,213
OI: 103
Vol/OI: 157.4x
IV: 62.9%
Notional: ~$3.24M (16,213 * $2.00 *100)
Intent: Likely short-term directional call buying or dealer sell to supply liquidity for larger put flow (small OI before prints).
Dual read: Aggressive buyer (bullish) or someone selling into put flow to rebalance/overwrite (neutral).

Read-through: Large vol/OI signals a fresh, one-sided trade at the $85 strike — but premium flow at that strike is net negative (see Top Premium Flow), implying puts dominated overall; this call print may be isolated tactical event or hedge of a larger put block.

#2
NOW 2026-08-21 $60.00 Put
Vol: 10,136
OI: 114
Vol/OI: 88.9x
IV: 67.2%
Notional: ~$3.55M (10,136 * $3.50 *100)
Intent: Long-dated tail hedging or structured-product protection (directional downside hedge out to Aug).
Dual read: Protective put (bearish/hedge) or dealer sale to create long-dated put exposure for client (could be structured sell depending on context).

Read-through: Significant long-dated put interest indicates institutions layering longer-dated downside protection despite near-term mixed flow; consistent with elevated avg IV (73.1%).

#3
NOW 2026-04-17 $75.00 Put
Vol: 5,079
OI: 274
Vol/OI: 18.5x
IV: 71.6%
Notional: ~$305k (5,079 * $0.60 *100)
Intent: Near-term protective put buying (expiration hedge) as $75 is close to 7d EM lower bound.
Dual read: Protective hedge for stock or replacement of short-dated risk vs expiration roll.

Read-through: Concentrated near-term put flow at $75 supports short-term downside protection being bought into this move; ties to elevated short-dated IV and dealer negative gamma.

#4
NOW 2026-04-17 $88.00 Call
Vol: 2,818
OI: 311
Vol/OI: 9.1x
IV: 62.5%
Notional: ~$3.10M (2,818 * $1.10 *100)
Intent: Tactical call buying for upside protection or small speculative longs ahead of earnings.
Dual read: Bullish call buy or dealer covering short calls (neutral).

Read-through: Call activity exists but is smaller vs put premium at nearby strikes; not enough to offset net premium negativity.

#5
NOW 2026-04-24 $90.00 Call
Vol: 3,119
OI: 582
Vol/OI: 5.4x
IV: 89.9%
Notional: ~$9.36M (3,119 * $3.00 *100)
Intent: Higher-IV call trades indicate either volatility-driven directional buys or structured flow; elevated IV (89.9%) suggests either dealer-driven quoting or buys near expiration.
Dual read: Directional upside exposure or hedging of large short-dated puts.

Read-through: High IV at this strike and size suggests either option-buying demand or volatility skew pressures; nevertheless net premium remains dominated by puts.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Some call additions concentrated near-the-money ($85-$90 short-dated) and near-term OI clusters at $100-$140 but these clusters are largely pre-existing (Top OI strikes: $100 call OI 6,477; $120 call OI 6,386).

Put additions: Heavy put premium flow at $85 and other strikes (Top Premium Flow shows $85 put premium $29,205,275) and notable long-dated $60 puts — institutions appear to be adding protection at/above spot ($85-$90) and buying tail protection longer dated ($60).

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — Total GEX is negative (-$14.3M) and DEX is +28.463M shares: dealers are net short gamma while delta exposure (DEX) shows share demand; put-biased flow aligns with negative GEX (dealer selling into downside moves).

OI clusters: Largest OI clusters cluster around puts at $85 (13,734 / 10,480 across listings) and calls at $100-$140 (call OI: $100 6,477/5,714; $120 6,386; $130 6,486). Near-spot OI concentration at $85 creates a potential short-term focal point; larger call walls at $100-$140 likely act as longer-term resistance but sit >10% away.

Hedging evidence: Clear evidence of protective puts and long-dated tail hedges (e.g., $60 puts with large volume) and near-term protective buys around $75-$85. Minimal direct collar messaging in flow; activity reads more like outright put buying and some short-dated call selling/overwriting.

Max pain context: Max Pain is $101 (nearest expiration) and trending higher across expirations; spot ($83) is well below MP, indicating market is currently below large call OI concentration and MP, creating asymmetry where upside pin is above spot but near-term flow is compressing price lower.

Signal vs Noise

~Large notional at distant strikes (e.g., $178, $168, $160, $155 puts) are tail hedges or structured-product positioning — likely institutional hedges, not directional bets for the next week.
~High vol/OI at the $85 short-dated call (Vol/OI 157.4x) may be a one-off liquidity trade or an options market-making fill; treat isolated high vol/OI with caution — overarching premium flow favored puts.
~Expirations around 2026-04-17 show heavy activity consistent with expiration/roll behavior; some put activity at $75 and $85 could be expiration hedges rather than fresh multi-week directional exposure.
~Elevated ATM IV term inversion (7d ATM 62.6% vs 14d ATM 87.7%) suggests IV flows and dealer quoting quirks — some trades are volatility-timing or vega-driven, not pure directional deltas.

Key Conclusions

🐻Net premium is heavily negative (-$145.7M) and P/C volume favors puts (1.18) — expect downside bias into near-term EM lower bound $76.97.
⚠️Dealers are net short gamma (Total GEX -$14.3M); with sizable put flow this can accelerate moves lower if spot declines toward $77-$80.
🔎Largest active OI sits at $85 puts (13,734 / 10,480) — watch $85 as a near-term focal/support area where protective put hangs and dealer hedging interact.
🛡️Significant long-dated put prints ($60 Aug/Dec) indicate institutional tail hedging — risk managers are buying outsized protection beyond near-term moves.
📈Call OI walls at $100-$140 are structural resistance but lie >10% above spot; short-term price action dictated by puts and dealer gamma, not those walls.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 10, 2026.
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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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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.