thetaOwl

QQQ

Invesco QQQ TrustClose $729.87EOD only
Max Pain
$727.00
Next expiry Aug 18, 2026
Expected Move
±$4.57
0.6% from close
Price Gap
-2.87
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
10
Low premium
P/C OI
1.16
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
6.5/10
Bearish tilt
Published snapshot: Aug 17, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
Aug 17, 2026 close
Max Pain — QQQ
Data as of market close Aug 17, 2026

Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-18 shows max pain at $727.00 (2.87 below spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.

Max Pain Strike
$727.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$4.57
±0.6%
Days to Expiry
1
Calendar days
Total Call OI
57,035
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
105,733
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
1.85
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$729.87
Published close
Consensus
6.5/10
Open report for full read

Max Pain by Expiration

Pain by Strike

Drill into expiration
Selected: 2026-08-18
ExpirationMax Pain StrikeLast Updated
2026-08-14$724.008/14/2026, 11:33:21 PM
2026-08-17Updated$729.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-18Next$727.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-19$729.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-20$730.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-21$705.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-24$728.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-25$729.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-26$730.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-27$730.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-28$720.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-08-31$700.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-09-04$725.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-09-11$715.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-09-18$690.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-09-25$721.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-09-30$700.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-10-02$730.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-10-16$700.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-10-30$724.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-11-20$725.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-12-18$680.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2026-12-31$685.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-01-15$665.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-02-19$770.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-03-19$700.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-03-31$660.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-06-17$710.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
2027-06-30$705.008/17/2026, 11:36:40 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-18 at max pain $727.00.
QQQ pain by strike for 2026-08-18 expiration
StrikeCall PainPut PainTotal Pain
495012970831001297083100
500012452381001245238100
505012006356001200635600
510400011646261001164630100
515800011309501001130958100
5201200010982751001098287100
5251600010656721001065688100
5303400010348936001034927600
54070000973384600973454600
550106000911950600912056600
555124000881244100881368100
560142000850542600850684600
565160000819841600820001600
570178000789143600789321600
580214000727767600727981600
585235000697079600697314600
590256000666405100666661100
595292000635743100636035100
600328000605100600605428600
605364500574461600574826100
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.