This page reflects VSH options positioning from the latest published market-close snapshot. Intraday price and contract changes are not displayed.
Published Snapshot
Aug 18, 2026 close
Max Pain — VSH
Data as of market close Aug 18, 2026
Nearest listed expiration 2026-08-21 shows max pain at $35.00 (1.48 above spot). Use this page to evaluate pin-risk zones, strike pressure, and open-interest concentration before selecting trade structure.
Max Pain Strike
$35.00
Nearest expiry
Expected Move
±$2.60
±7.8%
Days to Expiry
3
Calendar days
Total Call OI
24,779
Nearest expiry
Total Put OI
7,194
Nearest expiry
P/C OI Ratio
0.29
Put-heavy
Spot Price
$33.52
Published close
Consensus
-
Open report for full read
Max Pain by Expiration
Pain by Strike
Drill into expiration
Selected: 2026-08-21
Expiration
Max Pain Strike
Last Updated
2026-06-18
$60.00
6/18/2026, 11:35:50 PM
2026-07-17
$45.00
7/17/2026, 11:36:30 PM
2026-08-21NextUpdated
$35.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
2026-09-18
$35.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
2026-10-16
$45.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
2026-11-20
$35.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
2026-12-18
$30.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
2027-01-15
$50.00
8/18/2026, 11:38:11 PM
Selected expiration: 2026-08-21 at max pain $35.00.
VSH pain by strike for 2026-08-21 expiration
Strike
Call Pain
Put Pain
Total Pain
17.5
0
14117500
14117500
20
0
12323750
12323750
22.5
0
10538250
10538250
25
250
8788500
8788750
30
1250
5423500
5424750
35
85750
2456500
2542250
40
2168250
834000
3002250
45
7510250
267500
7777750
50
16581750
218000
16799750
55
27091250
168500
27259750
60
37861750
119000
37980750
65
49537750
72500
49610250
70
61543750
26000
61569750
75
73788250
0
73788250
80
86054750
0
86054750
85
98343250
0
98343250
90
110646750
0
110646750
95
123014750
0
123014750
100
135385250
0
135385250
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.