thetaOwl

SPY

SPDR S&P 500 ETFClose $745.64EOD only
Max Pain
$739.00
Next expiry May 26, 2026
Expected Move
±$5.62
0.8% from close
Price Gap
-6.64
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
31
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
2.48
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
4.0/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: May 22, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

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

Published Snapshot
May 22, 2026 close
SPY Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 8, 2026

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

You are viewing an older report from April 8, 2026. A newer flow report is available for May 22, 2026.

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Flow Verdict

BiasBearish
Confirmation: Continuation of net premium negative (net premium stays ≤ -$30M) with P/C volume ratio >1.5 and price drifting toward the MP band (~$655-$666).
Invalidation: Net premium flips positive (net > $0) or sustained call premium accumulation and OI builds above $680-$685 with price holding > $686.
Confidence:
4.5 / 10
base 4.5/10 (base 5; -1 GEX/flow contradict; +1 GEX positive (pinning); -0.5 spot 3.2% from MP)

Watch next session: Large put prints / sustained volume into 2026-04-09 strikes 664–668 (expiration day flow); Call OI / premium build at $680–$685 (dealer pinning pressure vs outright call buying)

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$47.0M bearish

P/C volume ratio: 1.84 — put-volume dominant (heavy put demand today)

P/C OI ratio: 2.11 — put-heavy positioning (OI shows structural put concentration)

Today’s flow is put-dominant both in volume and in premium (net -$47.0M), signalling institutional risk reduction or bearish directional bets into near-term expirations. Despite the put-heavy flow, dealers are long gamma (Total GEX +$993.7M) and acting as pin magnets around mid-high 670s, creating a tension: flow pushes lower toward the max-pain band near $655–$658 while dealer gamma concentrates buying/smoothing near $675–$680.

Notable Prints

#1
SPY 2026-04-10 $674 PUT
Vol: 31,213
OI: 218
Vol/OI: 143.2x
IV: 20.1%
Notional: ~$9.52M
Intent: Near-term directional put buying (expiration-adjacent protection/speculation)
Dual read: Bought puts (bearish protection/speculation) OR market-maker sold blocks to put buyers while dealer hedged (could be hedge-fill)

Read-through: Material notional and concentrated at-the-money for 4/10 expiry — evidence of aggressive near-term downside insurance or bearish directional positioning targeting a move back toward the MP band.

#2
SPY 2026-04-09 $668 PUT
Vol: 38,493
OI: 110
Vol/OI: 349.9x
IV: 22.9%
Notional: ~$2.58M
Intent: Expiration-day directional/hedge activity (short-dated put buying)
Dual read: Aggressive buys into expiry (bearish) OR pinning-oriented estates/flow trades rolling/closing into expiry (neutral-ish)

Read-through: Extremely high Vol/OI implies a fresh, concentrated trade — immediate directional pressure into the last 1-2 session expiries and increased near-term downside gamma exposure for dealers.

#3
SPY 2026-04-09 $665 PUT
Vol: 30,964
OI: 197
Vol/OI: 157.2x
IV: 24.5%
Notional: ~$1.24M
Intent: Short-dated protective puts or speculative puts into 4/9 expiry
Dual read: Bought puts (bearish/protection) OR sell-side trade being put on to be delta-hedged by dealers (less bullish)

Read-through: Concentrated activity one strike below spot for same-day expiry — supports thesis of dealers needing to hedge downside flow into the MP window.

#4
SPY 2026-04-09 $664 PUT
Vol: 27,907
OI: 152
Vol/OI: 183.6x
IV: 25.1%
Notional: ~$0.95M
Intent: Near-expiry downside protection/speculation
Dual read: Overnight speculative puts bought (bearish) OR expiration roll/close activity concentrated at-the-money (neutral)

Read-through: Reinforces short-dated put pressure across the 664–668 band; risk of intra-session moves as gamma hedging amplifies dealer flows.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Some call OI concentration at $675–$680–$685 (near-term: 13,120 OI @ $680; 7,890 OI @ $685; 25,436 vol at $675 on chain) — suggests dealers/providers are positioned for pinning in the high-670s to 680s.

Put additions: Heavy put demand and structural OI concentrated lower: $630–$650 cluster (notably $650 put OI 25,037 in near-term list and massive long-dated puts at $630/$600 and lower in top OI strikes), plus large single-strike long-dated puts ($535 PUT OI 204,186). Net premium today concentrated as significant put buying at $660/$650/$640 bands (see Top Premium Flow showing strong negative nets at $660, $650 and $670).

GEX/DEX consistency: Partially consistent: Flow regime is bearish (net premium negative), but Total GEX is strongly positive (+$993.7M) producing pinning/gamma buybacks around high-670s. That creates a tug: institutions adding puts while dealers remain long-gamma and concentrated at ~675–680.

OI clusters: Largest OI clusters sit deep in puts (example: $535 PUT OI=204,186; $630 PUT OI=147,920; $600 PUT OI=137,483) and near-spot call OI pockets at $675–$680 (call OI 13,120 @ $680, 7,890 @ $685). These create a structural floor in the 495–630 range (pre-computed) and a short-term pin/wall in the 675–680 band.

Hedging evidence: Strong evidence of short-term protective put buying (4/9–4/10 expiries). Long-dated put clusters and the heavy near-term put prints point to both tactical hedges and possible speculative downside. Minimal clear collar construction visible in today’s top prints — activity looks like pure put accumulation rather than systematic collaring.

Max pain context: Max pain is lower ($655–$658 for the next expiries) and trending higher across expirations; spot ($676.01) sits above near-term MP, so flow looks aimed at nudging spot back toward the MP band while dealers’ positive GEX pins price in the high-670s.

Signal vs Noise

~Most large-volume executions concentrated in 2026-04-09 and 2026-04-10 expiries — a lot of this is likely expiration-driven hedging or tactical protection (not necessarily a long-horizon directional signal).
~Very high Vol/OI ratios on single-day strikes (e.g., 668/665/664/668) are typical of expiry hedges and can overstate persistent directional conviction.
~Large structural put OI at far-lower strikes (e.g., $535, $630, $600) reflect longer-term positioning and protective trades rather than immediate directional flow; treat as background 'put floor' rather than fresh bearish aggression.
~Dealer gamma positioning (Total GEX +$993.7M) indicates significant market-maker inventory dynamics — some prints may be market-maker delta-hedge activity rather than clean client directional betting.

Key Conclusions

🐻Net premium and P/C ratios are decisively put-biased today (net premium -$47.0M; P/C vol 1.84), pointing to short-term bearish client activity into near-term expiries.
🧭Dealer gamma is strongly positive (+$993.7M) with concentrated GEX pinning at $675–$680 — expect dealer hedging to dampen moves and exert pinning pressure in the high-670s.
⚠️Large, concentrated near-expiry put prints (4/9–4/10) are likely expiration hedges/speculation; watch how these flows translate into dealer delta hedging tomorrow — that is where intraday directional moves will be amplified.
🧱Key short-term resistance cluster: $680.00–$685.00 (call OI + GEX pin). Key supports driven by put OI: $660.00, $650.00, $640.00 — these are the levels where dealer/put buying should slow declines.
🔎Flow vs positioning tension: institutions appear to be adding downside protection (puts) while dealers’ long gamma concentrates pin risk in the high-670s — the battle between these will determine whether price slides toward MP (~$655) or remains pinned near $675–$680.
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This flow reflects the market close on April 8, 2026.
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