thetaOwl

NVDA

NVIDIA CorporationClose $223.47EOD only
Max Pain
$215.00
Next expiry May 22, 2026
Expected Move
±$13.18
5.9% from close
Price Gap
-8.47
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
51
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
0.81
Slightly call-heavy
Consensus
7.5/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: May 20, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
May 20, 2026 close
NVDA Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 2, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 2, 2026. A newer flow report is available for May 20, 2026.

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Flow Verdict

BiasBullish
Confirmation: Spot holds above $175 and net premium remains strongly positive, with P/C volume ratio trending below 0.85.
Invalidation: Spot breaks below $172.50 with a surge in put premium, flipping net premium negative and P/C ratio >1.2.
Confidence:
7.5 / 10
base 5; +2 for massive net premium ($157.7M) and call-dominant premium flow; +1 for GEX/flow alignment (positive GEX + bullish flow); -0.5 for mixed P/C volume ratio (0.91) and large bearish put prints

Watch next session: Activity around the $175-$177.50 strike cluster for April 6th expiry; Follow-through on the massive May $150 Put and $195 Call prints

Flow Summary

Net premium: +$157.7M bullish

P/C volume ratio: 0.91 — mixed, slightly call-dominant

P/C OI ratio: 0.90 — moderate call lean

Massive bullish net premium flow is the dominant signal, driven by heavy call buying in the $175-$180 range. However, significant bearish put activity in May and near-term expiries creates a mixed volume picture, suggesting institutional hedging or defined spread activity alongside directional bullish bets.

Notable Prints

#1
NVDA 5/1 $150 Put
Vol: 69,092
OI: 2,885
Vol/OI: 23.9x
IV: 43.4%
Notional: ~$103.6M (est. premium)
Intent: Large-scale protective put buying or spread leg.
Dual read: Bought to open (bearish hedge) or sold to open (bullish premium collection). The high volume/OI ratio and size suggest new positioning.

Read-through: This is the largest single print by notional value. At a ~15% OTM strike, it's likely a major portfolio hedge against a significant pullback over the next month, not a near-term directional bet. Its size demands attention but may be offset by other positions.

#2
NVDA 5/1 $195 Call
Vol: 66,581
OI: 7,880
Vol/OI: 8.4x
IV: 30.4%
Notional: ~$99.9M (est. premium)
Intent: Fresh directional call buying or part of a bullish spread.
Dual read: Bought to open (bullish breakout bet) or sold to open (neutral/writing). The high volume and ~10% OTM strike suggest new bullish exposure.

Read-through: A massive bullish bet targeting a move above $195 by early May. The timing aligns with the May 20th earnings estimate, suggesting positioning ahead of the event. This print's size nearly matches the $150 Put, raising the possibility of a large-scale risk reversal (selling puts, buying calls) or collar structure.

#3
NVDA 4/6 $175 Put
Vol: 35,048
OI: 3,843
Vol/OI: 9.1x
IV: 22.9%
Notional: ~$6.1M (est. premium)
Intent: Near-term downside protection or speculative put buying.
Dual read: Bought to open (bearish/short-term hedge) or sold to open (bullish premium sale).

Read-through: Significant activity just below spot ($177.39), targeting a move below $175 by this Friday. This is a tactical, short-dated bearish flow that contrasts with the longer-dated bullish call flow. Likely represents hedging against a near-term dip within the broader bullish structure.

#4
NVDA 4/6 $177.50 Call
Vol: 31,545
OI: 4,194
Vol/OI: 7.5x
IV: 22.3%
Notional: ~$5.6M (est. premium)
Intent: At-the-money call buying for short-dated upside exposure.
Dual read: Bought (bullish) or sold (neutral/writing).

Read-through: Direct bullish flow at the money for the weekly expiry. This, combined with the $175 Put flow, indicates active two-way trading and gamma hedging around the $175-$178 pinning zone, consistent with the high positive GEX regime.

#5
NVDA 10/16 $240 Call
Vol: 3,628
OI: 471
Vol/OI: 7.7x
IV: 40.3%
Notional: ~$1.5M (est. premium)
Intent: Long-dated, far OTM call buying for leveraged upside.
Dual read: Bought (bullish long-term bet) or sold (premium collection).

Read-through: A strategic bet on a >35% rally over the next 6+ months. This is a low-delta, high-conviction bullish positioning, often seen from institutions with a long-term positive outlook, complementing the nearer-dated bullish flows.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Heavy additions at $175-$180 calls for April 6th expiry and $195 calls for May 1st. Strategic long-dated buying at $240 (Oct).

Put additions: Major protective put buying at the May $150 strike. Tactical put flow at April $172.50-$177.50 strikes.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — strongly aligned. Positive GEX of +$250.5M indicates net long gamma, which aligns with the heavy at-the-money and near-term call buying flow, supporting a pinning/mean-reverting regime.

OI clusters: Major call OI walls at $140 (114.8K), $160 (110.8K), and $200 (~286K combined). Major put OI support at $140 (91.9K). This creates a massive call wall at $200 and significant put support at $140, framing a wide range.

Hedging evidence: Clear evidence of large-scale hedging via the May $150 Put. The simultaneous massive May $195 Call flow suggests this could be part of a complex position (e.g., collar, risk reversal) rather than a purely bearish stance.

Max pain context: Spot ($177.39) is far above the nearest max pain ($90 for 3/23) but trading near the max pain cluster for active weekly expiries ($170-$175). For the April 6th expiry, MP is $172.50, adding to the pinning pressure around current levels.

Signal vs Noise

~The $0.50 Call with 102K OI is a known artifact, not tradable flow.
~High volume in weekly April 6th options ($172.50-$180 strikes) contains significant market maker gamma hedging flows due to the pinning regime, not all pure directional bets.
~The massive May $150 Put and $195 Call prints, while significant, may be legs of a single multi-leg strategy (e.g., collar, diagonal spread) and should not be interpreted in isolation as purely bearish and bullish signals, respectively.

Key Conclusions

💰Net premium flow remains overwhelmingly bullish at +$157.7M, the dominant directional signal.
⚖️Institutional activity shows a bifurcation: massive bullish bets in calls ($195C May, $240C Oct) paired with massive protective puts ($150P May), suggesting sophisticated positioning for upside with defined downside protection.
📌Spot is in a strong Gamma Pinning regime (GEX +$250.5M), with heavy flow in weekly $175-$177.50 options, reinforcing a battle around these levels into the April 6th expiry.
⚠️The mixed P/C volume ratio (0.91) and large bearish put prints introduce caution. A break below $172.50 (April 6th max pain) with rising put premium would challenge the bullish thesis.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 2, 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.