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Election 2026: what SPX options price for the Nov 4 session.Election 2026: what SPX options price

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Session archiveSession complete

Unusual options activity on Oct 16, 2026

On Oct 16, 2026, SquawkFlow published 130 snapshots of unusual options activity, 130 from delayed options chain data, the newest captured Oct 16, 2026, 16:14 ET: 91 put/call by expiry, 14 volume vs open interest, 14 same-day share, 11 near vs far dates. Figures are session totals and settlement counts, not individual trades, and no snapshot infers a buyer, seller or direction.

  • 130
    Snapshots published
  • 4
    Kinds that fired
  • QQQ
    Ticker with the largest est. premium
  • 20
    Tickers with a snapshot
Machine-readable versionHow snapshots are made

Boards for Oct 16, 2026

Ticker x expiry x call or put totals from the session's last public capture.

Biggest estimated premium

Biggest est. premium by ticker, expiry and type, in the strikes we track. Estimated as volume times the quote midpoint.

Biggest estimated premium. As of Oct 16, 2026, 16:14 ET. Premium in US dollars, estimated; volume and open interest in contracts, in the strikes captured around the money. Session totals from delayed chain snapshots, not individual trades.
#Ticker, expiryEst. premiumVolumePrior OI
1QQQ puts expiring October 19, 2026$362.8M716,682132,830
2SPY puts expiring October 19, 2026$319.7M986,117295,806
3TSLA puts expiring October 16, 2026$305.4M881,972222,298
4META puts expiring October 16, 2026$188.2M256,36696,655
5AMD puts expiring October 16, 2026$126.6M155,21285,917
6TSLA puts expiring October 19, 2026$104.9M211,00824,725
7SPY calls expiring October 19, 2026$102.8M780,43094,121
8QQQ puts expiring October 20, 2026$90.9M174,69859,421
9QQQ calls expiring October 19, 2026$86.2M634,17889,462
10SPY puts expiring October 20, 2026$82.3M240,745132,468

12 cells withheld: fewer than 3 traded contracts

Volume against prior open interest

Volume vs prior open interest by ticker, expiry and type (open interest >= 5,000). Session volume in the strikes we track divided by their open interest from the prior settlement.

Volume against prior open interest. As of Oct 16, 2026, 16:14 ET. Premium in US dollars, estimated; volume and open interest in contracts, in the strikes captured around the money. Session totals from delayed chain snapshots, not individual trades.
#Ticker, expiryVolume / OIVolumePrior OI
1TSLA calls expiring October 19, 20269.3x364,17639,232
2TSLA puts expiring October 19, 20268.5x211,00824,725
3SPY calls expiring October 19, 20268.3x780,43094,121
4AMD calls expiring October 19, 20268.0x45,8415,767
5IWM puts expiring October 19, 20267.7x171,18422,221
6QQQ calls expiring October 19, 20267.1x634,17889,462
7TSLA calls expiring October 16, 20266.8x1,405,165206,790
8AAPL puts expiring October 19, 20265.7x137,69023,967
9AAPL calls expiring October 19, 20265.6x149,06126,440
10QQQ puts expiring October 19, 20265.4x716,682132,830

12 cells withheld: fewer than 3 traded contracts

Put/call extremes by expiry

Put/call volume ratio by ticker and expiry (volume >= 5,000), in the strikes we track. Above 1, more puts than calls traded in that expiry.

Most puts per call

Highest put/call ratios. As of Oct 16, 2026, 16:14 ET. Ratio of put to call contracts traded in one expiry, in the strikes we track.
Ticker, expiryPut/callP / C contracts
TSLA options expiring January 19, 2029, Over 3 months5.526,238 / 1,130
AMD options expiring November 13, 2026, 1 to 3 months4.645,269 / 1,136
AMD options expiring March 19, 2027, Over 3 months3.425,033 / 1,471
PLTR options expiring December 18, 2026, 1 to 3 months3.4037,452 / 11,009
NVDA options expiring January 21, 2028, Over 3 months3.2018,716 / 5,853

Most calls per put

Lowest put/call ratios. As of Oct 16, 2026, 16:14 ET. Ratio of put to call contracts traded in one expiry, in the strikes we track.
Ticker, expiryPut/callP / C contracts
SOFI options expiring November 20, 2026, 1 to 3 months0.0912,912 / 144,425
SOFI options expiring March 19, 2027, Over 3 months0.10936 / 9,112
XOM options expiring November 20, 2026, 1 to 3 months0.141,149 / 7,969
BAC options expiring January 15, 2027, 1 to 3 months0.151,249 / 8,357
XOM options expiring October 23, 2026, 1 to 3 weeks0.184,327 / 24,695

12 cells withheld: fewer than 3 traded contracts

Open interest rose at the settlement

Open interest rose at the latest settlement, by ticker, expiry and type, Oct 15, 2026.

Open interest rose at the latest settlement, by ticker, expiry and type. Change and open interest in contracts. Open interest change, not trades; it does not say which side opened or closed.
Ticker, expiryChangeNow open
SPY puts expiring October 19, 2026+201,858295,806
EWZ puts expiring October 30, 2026+175,990643,398
NVDA calls expiring November 20, 2026+144,224912,505
XLF puts expiring December 15, 2028+76,464415,708
XLP puts expiring January 19, 2029+60,13895,853
INTC calls expiring October 23, 2026+54,161213,347
MSTR calls expiring October 23, 2026+44,49394,999
XLE puts expiring December 17, 2027+41,960299,464
GRAB puts expiring June 17, 2027+41,15974,531
TSLA calls expiring October 19, 2026+34,42873,322

Open interest change, not trades; it does not say which side opened or closed. Every symbol, every strike: biggest open interest changes.

Put/call by expiry

91 snapshots, most notable first

  1. IWMPNOV 20Put/call by expiry

    IWM puts expiring Nov 20 traded 8.2x the calls, vs a 2.6x median

    The median is IWM's put/call volume ratio for contracts 1 to 3 months out over the last 6 sessions. 128,578 put and 15,658 call contracts by 13:16 ET on Oct 16, 2026. Tracked: up to 40 strikes around the money across 33 expirations.

    Source: Schwab options chainIWM pageDetails

85 more put/call by expiry snapshots

  1. GOOGL calls outnumbered puts 7.4 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 2.6 median GOOGL, 09:43 ET
  2. NVDA calls outnumbered puts 6.8 to 1 expiring Dec 18, vs a 1.8 median NVDA, 09:41 ET
  3. MSFT calls outnumbered puts 5.7 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) MSFT, 09:33 ET
  4. IWM calls outnumbered puts 6.9 to 1 expiring Nov 6 (3 weeks out), vs a 0.6 median IWM, 10:50 ET
  5. GOOGL calls outnumbered puts 6.8 to 1 expiring Oct 26 (1 week out), vs a 2.6 median GOOGL, 12:14 ET
  6. BAC calls outnumbered puts 6.5 to 1 expiring Dec 18, vs a 0.9 median BAC, 10:16 ET
  7. NFLX calls outnumbered puts 6.2 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 2.4 median NFLX, 09:40 ET
  8. MSFT calls outnumbered puts 6.1 to 1 expiring Oct 19, vs a 1.5 median MSFT, 09:38 ET
  9. NVDA calls outnumbered puts 4.7 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.7 median NVDA, 09:46 ET
  10. NFLX calls outnumbered puts 6.1 to 1 expiring Jan 15, 2027, vs a 1.8 median NFLX, 10:30 ET
  11. IWM puts expiring Dec 18 traded 5.5x the calls, vs a 2.6x median IWM, 09:56 ET
  12. META calls outnumbered puts 5.7 to 1 expiring Jan 21, 2028, vs a 1.5 median META, 15:57 ET
  13. QQQ calls outnumbered puts 5.4 to 1 expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out), vs a 1.0 median QQQ, 09:39 ET
  14. SOFI calls outnumbered puts 5.7 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 2.0 median SOFI, 09:34 ET
  15. AMZN calls outnumbered puts 5.0 to 1 expiring Dec 18, vs a 2.5 median AMZN, 10:36 ET
  16. TSLA calls outnumbered puts 4.9 to 1 expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out), vs a 1.6 median TSLA, 09:36 ET
  17. AMZN calls outnumbered puts 4.5 to 1 expiring Jan 19, 2029, vs a 1.8 median AMZN, 15:57 ET
  18. GOOGL calls outnumbered puts 4.2 to 1 expiring Jan 15, 2027, vs a 2.2 median GOOGL, 12:53 ET
  19. MSFT calls outnumbered puts 4.7 to 1 expiring Nov 20, vs a 1.4 median MSFT, 10:17 ET
  20. TSLA calls outnumbered puts 3.0 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) TSLA, 09:36 ET
  21. COIN puts expiring Nov 6 (3 weeks out) traded 4.2x the calls, vs a 0.5x median COIN, 14:50 ET
  22. META calls outnumbered puts 4.3 to 1 expiring Nov 20, vs a 1.2 median META, 10:36 ET
  23. IWM puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 4.0x the calls, vs a 1.8x median IWM, 09:56 ET
  24. TSLA calls outnumbered puts 4.3 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.6 median TSLA, 09:31 ET
  25. QQQ puts expiring Oct 22 traded 3.2x the calls, vs a 1.2x median QQQ, 15:54 ET
  26. META calls outnumbered puts 4.2 to 1 expiring Feb 19, 2027, vs a 1.5 median META, 15:57 ET
  27. AMD calls outnumbered puts 3.9 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.2 median AMD, 09:45 ET
  28. AMD puts expiring Mar 19, 2027 traded 3.9x the calls, vs a 1.5x median AMD, 14:50 ET
  29. XOM calls outnumbered puts 4.2 to 1 expiring Nov 20, vs a 1.8 median XOM, 11:53 ET
  30. SPY puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 2.6x the calls, vs a 1.0x median SPY, 15:52 ET
  31. AMZN calls outnumbered puts 4.1 to 1 expiring Oct 21, vs a 2.0 median AMZN, 09:56 ET
  32. SOFI calls outnumbered puts 3.7 to 1 expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out), vs a 2.0 median SOFI, 09:44 ET
  33. SOFI calls outnumbered puts 3.8 to 1 expiring Nov 6 (3 weeks out), vs a 2.0 median SOFI, 11:19 ET
  34. XOM calls outnumbered puts 3.6 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.9 median XOM, 10:48 ET
  35. BAC calls outnumbered puts 3.7 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) BAC, 09:40 ET
  36. SOFI calls outnumbered puts 3.4 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) SOFI, 09:34 ET
  37. GOOGL calls outnumbered puts 2.9 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) GOOGL, 09:43 ET
  38. NVDA calls outnumbered puts 3.6 to 1 expiring Oct 21, vs a 1.5 median NVDA, 09:41 ET
  39. AMD puts expiring Nov 13 traded 3.8x the calls, vs a 1.0x median AMD, 11:40 ET
  40. NVDA calls outnumbered puts 3.1 to 1 expiring Nov 13, vs a 1.8 median NVDA, 10:51 ET
  41. MSFT puts expiring Jan 21, 2028 traded 3.8x the calls, vs a 0.7x median MSFT, 11:03 ET
  42. JPM calls outnumbered puts 3.8 to 1 expiring Jan 15, 2027, vs a 1.7 median JPM, 10:39 ET
  43. SPY puts expiring Jan 15, 2027 traded 2.6x the calls, vs a 1.3x median SPY, 15:57 ET
  44. PLTR calls outnumbered puts 3.3 to 1 expiring Nov 6 (3 weeks out), vs a 1.4 median PLTR, 11:03 ET
  45. SPY puts expiring Nov 20 traded 3.0x the calls, vs a 1.3x median SPY, 09:42 ET
  46. IWM calls outnumbered puts 3.4 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 0.6 median IWM, 09:36 ET
  47. IWM puts expiring Oct 19 traded 2.2x the calls, vs a 0.7x median IWM, 12:56 ET
  48. COIN calls outnumbered puts 3.2 to 1 expiring Nov 13, vs a 1.1 median COIN, 14:44 ET
  49. SPY puts expiring Oct 23 (1 week out) traded 2.8x the calls, vs a 1.0x median SPY, 09:32 ET
  50. QQQ puts expiring Nov 20 traded 2.1x the calls, vs a 1.2x median QQQ, 13:39 ET
  51. JPM calls outnumbered puts 3.0 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) JPM, 09:39 ET
  52. AMD puts expiring Nov 6 (3 weeks out) traded 3.1x the calls, vs a 0.8x median AMD, 10:00 ET
  53. PLTR puts expiring Dec 18 traded 2.6x the calls, vs a 1.0x median PLTR, 11:32 ET
  54. MSFT puts expiring Dec 18 traded 3.0x the calls, vs a 0.7x median MSFT, 10:13 ET
  55. NFLX calls outnumbered puts 3.0 to 1 expiring Jun 17, 2027, vs a 1.5 median NFLX, 14:05 ET
  56. XOM calls outnumbered puts 3.0 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) XOM, 09:58 ET
  57. GS calls outnumbered puts 2.9 to 1 in contracts expiring Oct 16 (same day) GS, 09:46 ET
  58. QQQ puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 2.2x the calls, vs a 1.0x median QQQ, 11:09 ET
  59. AMD puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 2.3x the calls, vs a 0.8x median AMD, 13:40 ET
  60. IWM puts expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 2.5x the calls, vs a 0.9x median IWM, 09:31 ET
  61. QQQ calls outnumbered puts 2.4 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.0 median QQQ, 09:34 ET
  62. IWM puts expiring Oct 20 traded 2.4x the calls, vs a 0.7x median IWM, 10:17 ET
  63. BAC puts expiring Jan 21, 2028 traded 2.6x the calls, vs a 1.3x median BAC, 13:10 ET
  64. PLTR calls outnumbered puts 2.6 to 1 expiring Oct 23 (1 week out), vs a 1.4 median PLTR, 09:33 ET
  65. SPY puts expiring Oct 21 traded 2.3x the calls, vs a 1.3x median SPY, 09:42 ET
  66. PLTR puts expiring Nov 13 traded 2.3x the calls, vs a 1.0x median PLTR, 13:38 ET
  67. META calls outnumbered puts 2.1 to 1 expiring Dec 18, vs a 1.2 median META, 15:01 ET
  68. SPY calls outnumbered puts 2.2 to 1 expiring Oct 22, vs a 0.8 median SPY, 09:37 ET
  69. SPY calls outnumbered puts 1.9 to 1 expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out), vs a 1.0 median SPY, 09:37 ET
  70. AAPL puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 2.2x the calls, vs a 0.6x median AAPL, 09:35 ET
  71. NVDA puts expiring Oct 19 traded 1.9x the calls, vs a 0.7x median NVDA, 09:31 ET
  72. JPM puts expiring Jan 15, 2027 traded 1.9x the calls, vs a 0.6x median JPM, 13:19 ET
  73. AAPL puts expiring Nov 20 traded 1.8x the calls, vs a 0.9x median AAPL, 10:01 ET
  74. GOOGL puts expiring Apr 16, 2027 traded 2.0x the calls, vs a 0.6x median GOOGL, 15:58 ET
  75. COIN puts expiring Oct 23 (1 week out) traded 1.9x the calls, vs a 0.5x median COIN, 09:59 ET
  76. QQQ calls outnumbered puts 1.5 to 1 expiring Oct 20, vs a 0.9 median QQQ, 09:49 ET
  77. GS puts expiring Oct 23 (1 week out) traded 1.9x the calls, vs a 0.9x median GS, 12:16 ET
  78. PLTR puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 1.7x the calls, vs a 0.7x median PLTR, 09:58 ET
  79. NVDA puts expiring Jan 15, 2027 traded 1.6x the calls, vs a 0.6x median NVDA, 10:31 ET
  80. NFLX puts expiring Oct 30 (2 weeks out) traded 1.6x the calls, vs a 0.4x median NFLX, 13:10 ET
  81. MSFT puts expiring Oct 23 (1 week out) traded 1.7x the calls, vs a 0.6x median MSFT, 09:43 ET
  82. AMD calls outnumbered puts 1.8 to 1 expiring Jan 15, 2027, vs a 1.0 median AMD, 11:25 ET
  83. COIN puts expiring Nov 20 traded 1.6x the calls, vs a 0.9x median COIN, 13:14 ET
  84. V puts expiring Oct 23 (1 week out) traded 1.7x the calls, vs a 0.9x median V, 11:34 ET
  85. AMZN puts expiring Oct 28 (2 weeks out) traded 1.6x the calls, vs a 0.5x median AMZN, 12:56 ET

Volume vs open interest

14 snapshots, most notable first

8 more volume vs open interest snapshots

  1. SPY 771 puts expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 6.0x their open interest SPY, 09:52 ET
  2. META 722.5 puts expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.3x their open interest META, 10:11 ET
  3. AAPL 347.5 calls expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.2x their open interest AAPL, 11:06 ET
  4. COIN 182.5 calls expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.1x their open interest COIN, 13:29 ET
  5. QQQ 723 calls expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.7x their open interest QQQ, 09:44 ET
  6. AMD 535 puts expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.1x their open interest AMD, 11:25 ET
  7. TSLA 367.5 calls expiring Oct 16 (same day) traded 5.1x their open interest TSLA, 09:51 ET
  8. IWM 272 puts expiring Oct 19 traded 5.4x their open interest IWM, 11:31 ET

Same-day share

14 snapshots, most notable first

8 more same-day share snapshots

  1. Same-day contracts accounted for 65% of tracked SPY option volume by 09:32 ET SPY, 09:32 ET
  2. Same-day contracts accounted for 77% of tracked COIN option volume by 09:44 ET COIN, 09:44 ET
  3. Same-day contracts accounted for 73% of tracked PLTR option volume by 09:33 ET PLTR, 09:33 ET
  4. Same-day contracts accounted for 65% of tracked IWM option volume by 09:36 ET IWM, 09:36 ET
  5. Same-day contracts accounted for 67% of tracked NFLX option volume by 09:34 ET NFLX, 09:34 ET
  6. Same-day contracts accounted for 63% of tracked AMD option volume by 09:35 ET AMD, 09:35 ET
  7. Same-day contracts accounted for 61% of tracked AMZN option volume by 09:36 ET AMZN, 09:36 ET
  8. Same-day contracts accounted for 64% of tracked GS option volume by 10:31 ET GS, 10:31 ET

Near vs far dates

11 snapshots, most notable first

5 more near vs far dates snapshots

  1. JPM put/call volume ratio held at 0.55 within 3 weeks, against 0.85 1 to 3 months out JPM, 11:29 ET
  2. META put/call volume ratio held at 0.96 within 3 weeks, against 0.70 1 to 3 months out META, 10:07 ET
  3. AAPL put/call volume ratio held at 0.64 within 3 weeks, against 0.50 1 to 3 months out AAPL, 09:50 ET
  4. COIN put/call volume ratio held at 1.23 within 3 weeks, against 0.97 1 to 3 months out COIN, 10:19 ET
  5. BAC put/call volume ratio held at 0.56 within 3 weeks, against 0.51 1 to 3 months out BAC, 09:55 ET

How to read this, and what it cannot tell you

Each snapshot is one templated sentence computed from options chain snapshots aggregated to ticker, expiry and call or put totals, each over at least 3 traded contracts. The sentence is generated by fixed rules, never written by a model, and it never changes once published: a template fix applies only to new snapshots.

  • Delayed at least 15 minutesEvery figure is published at least 15 minutes after the chain capture it describes, and stamped with that capture time in Eastern time.
  • 21 symbols intraday, about 200 end of dayIntraday snapshots cover a fixed list of 21 symbols (major stocks, ETFs and the SPX index), not every optionable symbol. Open interest changes cover about 200 symbols from the nightly Cboe settlement archive.
  • The strikes we track, not the full bookA chain capture is a window: up to 40 strikes around the money in each expiration from the Schwab chain, or every strike in the nearest expirations from the Cboe delayed chain. Totals, shares and ratios describe the strikes captured, and each snapshot states its own coverage.
  • Thin cells are withheldEvery published total, ratio and share rests on at least 3 traded contracts (volume above zero; for open interest change, contracts whose open interest changed). A call or put side of one expiry below that is left out of every figure, shown as withheld, and counted in a footnote, so no difference between published numbers recovers it.
  • Session totals, not tradesVolume is the session total read from chain snapshots, aggregated to ticker, expiry and call or put. There is no trade-by-trade record behind it, and no single trade is shown.
  • No buyer, seller or directionA chain cannot say who bought or sold, whether a contract was opened or closed, or whether it was one leg of a spread. Calls can be sold and puts can hedge stock, so no snapshot carries a direction.
  • Premium is an estimateEstimated premium is volume times the quote midpoint times 100 shares. It is labelled "est." wherever it appears.
  • Open interest arrives the next dayOpen interest is the prior settlement figure. Whether contracts stayed open is only known after the next settlement, which is when each snapshot gets its follow-up.

The six kinds of snapshot

  • Put/call by expiry. Put or call volume in one expiry at least 2.5 times the other side (once a ticker has history, 1.75 times its own usual ratio for that range of expiries), with at least 2,000 contracts on the heavy side.
  • Volume vs open interest. One strike trading at least 5 times its prior open interest, and at least 3 times the ratio of its expiry's tracked strikes, with at least 1,000 contracts open.
  • Premium concentration. One expiry holding an outsized share of a ticker's tracked estimated premium for the session.
  • Same-day share. Contracts expiring the same day taking at least 60% of a ticker's tracked option volume (once it has history, 10 points above its own usual share).
  • Near vs far dates. The put/call ratio within three weeks at least twice, or at most half, the ratio one to three months out.
  • Open interest change. Open interest in one expiry and type changing sharply between two settlements, against that symbol's own typical change.

Until a ticker has five sessions of its own history, a snapshot is judged against a fixed threshold and says so; after that it is also compared with the ticker's own 20-session median, and the snapshot page shows how many sessions that median rests on.

Covered intraday

SPX, SPY, QQQ, IWM, AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, TSLA, META, AMZN, GOOGL, AMD, NFLX, COIN, PLTR, BAC, JPM, GS, XOM, V, SOFI.