thetaOwl

SPY

SPDR S&P 500 ETFClose $686.10EOD only
Max Pain
$674.00
Next expiry Apr 14, 2026
Expected Move
±$3.49
0.5% from close
Price Gap
-12.10
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
15
Low premium
P/C OI
2.25
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
6.5/10
Bullish tilt
Published snapshot: Apr 13, 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
Apr 13, 2026 close
SPY Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 13, 2026

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

Flow Verdict

BiasBullish
Confirmation: Sustained net premium inflows near-term (>$1B) with continued call concentration at $680-$686 and dealer GEX holding >+$2B while spot stays >$682
Invalidation: Net premium flips negative or sustained heavy executed put buying that moves P/C volume ratio >>1.8 while GEX falls materially from +$2.3B
Confidence:
9 / 10
base 5; +2 GEX/flow strongly aligned; +1 GEX positive (pinning); +0.5 spot 1.3% from MP; +0.5 VIX 19

Watch next session: Large executed call/put prints at $685-$686 (near-term GEX concentration); Continuation of heavy put prints at $682-$684 expirations (would signal dealer/pass-through hedging or directional put demand)

Flow Summary

Net premium: +$1.8B bullish

P/C volume ratio: 1.45 — put-volume skewed but not extreme given near-expiry activity

P/C OI ratio: 2.25 — open-interest biased to puts (larger structural put OI lower strikes) while todays executed premium is call-heavy

Todays session shows large, concentrated call premium flow at and just above spot (strikes $678-$686) producing a strong short-term bullish read while structural OI remains weighted to deep/long-dated puts. Dealer positioning (GEX +$2.3B) and near-term GEX clusters at $685-$686 reinforce a pin/bull-support regime; unusual short-dated put prints complicate the picture but are likely expiry/pinning driven.

Notable Prints

#1
SPY 2026-04-13 $683 Put
Vol: 288,701
OI: 846
Vol/OI: 341.2x
IV: 4.6%
Notional: ~$288,701
Intent: Aggressive short-dated put activity tied to expiry/pinning (could be dealer pass-through or directional put selling/buying near 0dte)
Dual read: Could be buyers of protection (directional bearish) or sellers/positioning into expiry (neutral/pin maintenance); small per-contract notional (last=$0.01) reduces directional conviction

Read-through: High-volume, low-price prints at the 0dte $683 put look like expiry flow that reinforces pinning risk around $677-$684 rather than a large fresh directional hedge.

#2
SPY 2026-04-14 $684 Put
Vol: 45,410
OI: 133
Vol/OI: 341.4x
IV: 9.2%
Notional: ~$4.5M
Intent: Meaningful short-dated put opening/closing into 1d expiry; size and last=$1.00 imply real premium transfer (either directional put buying or dealer flip hedging)
Dual read: Bought protection (bearish) or sold into liquidity to manage delta/GEX (neutral); context of large call premium leans toward hedging by counterparties to call buying

Read-through: This print is a high-significance input: non-trivial notional (~$4.5M) at 1d expiry. If continued, it could force dealer delta buys or sells intraday depending on net-side — monitor immediate gamma hedging flows.

#3
SPY 2026-04-13 $684 Put
Vol: 156,152
OI: 624
Vol/OI: 250.2x
IV: 3.4%
Notional: ~$312,304
Intent: 0dte put activity concentrated at strike very near spot — typical of pin-related positioning or expiry compression
Dual read: Could be short sellers pinning into expiry or buyers/offloading of residual risk; low IV and low last price point to late-stage expiry flows

Read-through: Supports the immediate pin/pinning thesis; creates short-term volatility around the $677-$685 corridor but not a long-dated directional repositioning.

#4
SPY 2026-05-08 $671 Put
Vol: 16,271
OI: 158
Vol/OI: 103.0x
IV: 16.9%
Notional: ~$9.98M
Intent: Genuine protective put buying into May (longer-dated directional hedge)
Dual read: Primarily downside protection for large equity exposure (bearish hedge) vs structured buyer layering that could be part of collars

Read-through: Notable because of material notional and IV — institutional protective hedging exists below spot and is separate from 0-2d expiry pin flow.

#5
SPY 2026-04-14 $682 Put
Vol: 78,759
OI: 952
Vol/OI: 82.7x
IV: 10.2%
Notional: ~$4.8M
Intent: 1d put volume at $682 suggests active participation around EM lower bound — could be protective or dealer flow linked to call buys
Dual read: Directional protection (buyer) or sold liquidity for dealers managing call exposure (neutral)

Read-through: Reinforces focus on the $682-$686 corridor; if prints continue, dealers will be forced into delta adjustments that amplify price moves near those strikes.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Heavy executed call premium concentrated at $680-$686 (Top Premium Flow: $680 net $120.2M; $681 net $224.1M; $682 net $230.6M; $683 net $168.0M; $684 net $111.4M; $685 net $87.1M). Near-term OI cluster: $685 (55,531 OI), $677 (38,321 OI).

Put additions: Large structural put OI rests well below spot (notable concentration at $535 PUT OI=204,067; $650 PUT OI=164,019; multiple large long-dated put clusters). Some shorter-dated protective activity at $671 (May) and active 1-2d put prints at $682-$686.

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — positive Total GEX +$2.3B and concentrated near-spot GEX at $685/$686 (+$763.9M, +$474.6M) align with heavy call premium and pinning behavior; DEX +274.9M shares supports dealer delta exposure that could buy into dips.

OI clusters: Largest OI clusters create two regime features: deep structural put floor (massive OI in $495-$650 band) that provides long-term downside support, and call/OI concentration near $685-$690 that acts as a short-term pin/wall. Specific clusters: $685 call wall (55,531 OI), $660 put (62,667 OI), and the top long-dated $535 put (204,067 OI).

Hedging evidence: Mixed. Evidence of longer-dated protective buys (May $671 put notional ~ $10M) and sizeable short-dated put executions that look like expiry hedging. Minimal clear collar flows in near-term chain; dealers likely short gamma and hedging delta into the $682-$686 corridor.

Max pain context: Max pain is flat around ~$677 across expirations. Spot ($686.10) sits ~1.3% above MP, so current flow and GEX pinning are consistent with dealers defending a pin zone slightly below spot ($677-$684) while call buyers push the front-week premium up.

Signal vs Noise

~Large 0dte/1d put prints (2026-04-13/14 $682-$687 puts) are likely expiry/pin-related flow, not clear long-dated directional commitment.
~Top Premium Flow calls at $680-$686 may include overwritten/structured flows vs pure buys — treat isolated fills as part of likely call-heavy spread activity unless accompanied by OI build.
~High P/C OI ratio (2.25) reflects existing structural put blocks — not all put OI is active directional hedging today (long-dated protective positions).
~Some prints with extremely low last prices (e.g., $0.01-$0.02 on 0dte) produce large vol/OI ratios but small economic impact; these are noisy expiry compressions.

Key Conclusions

🐂Front-week flow is bullish: +$1.8B net premium and concentrated call premium at $680-$686 combined with GEX +$2.3B favor upside/support into the week.
📍Pin corridor set: near-term GEX & OI pin magnet sits in the $682-$686 area (GEX concentration +$763.9M at $685 and +$474.6M at $686).
⚠️Heavy short-dated put prints (0dte/1d at $682-$684) are noisy but can trigger amplified dealer hedging intraday — watch delta flows at open.
🛡️Structural downside protection remains large (deep put OI: $535 PUT OI=204,067 and clustered $495-$650 put floor) — long-term tail support is intact even if near-term is bullish.
👀Watch whether call OI at $685/$686 builds (confirming bullish dealer compression) or if executed near-term put buying persists (which would flip dealer hedging into selling and invalidate the bullish bias).

Read the Flow analysis for SPY for 2026-04-13. Each report is a market-close snapshot with regime read, key levels, and strategy context that translates options positioning into an actionable setup.