Unusual Options Flow Today
LIVELarge sweeps, dark pool blocks, and high-premium options contracts — filtered for institutional-level conviction. Updated every 60 seconds during market hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET).
What Is Unusual Options Flow?
Unusual options flow refers to options contracts that trade at abnormally high volumes relative to their open interest — a hallmark of institutional or informed traders positioning for a directional move. Unlike retail options activity, institutional flow leaves distinctive fingerprints: large sweeps filled across multiple exchanges at once, or oversized blocks negotiated off-market. Tracking this flow lets you see where the "smart money" is betting before the move becomes obvious.
TraderValue monitors contracts in real time and flags any trade where premium exceeds $50K and/or the volume-to-open-interest ratio is ≥ 0.3 — the two strongest signals of unusual activity. The BULL/BEAR sentiment label is determined by whether the contract was bought at the ask (demand) or sold at the bid (distribution).
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Sweeps
Filled across multiple market makers simultaneously — signals urgency and high conviction. The buyer paid up to get done fast.
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Blocks
Single large negotiated prints off the open market. Often seen before known catalysts: earnings, FDA dates, macro events.
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Bullish Flow
Calls bought at the ask, or puts sold at the bid. Indicates demand for upside exposure from institutional-sized traders.
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Bearish Flow
Puts bought at the ask, or calls sold at the bid. Indicates downside positioning or hedging at the institutional level.
How to Use Options Flow with EdgeOS Signals
Options flow is most powerful when combined with a technical signal. A large bullish sweep on a stock that simultaneously has a T1 ignition signal (bull count = 1) on the daily chart is a high-conviction setup — the flow confirms institutional demand at the exact moment the price structure is breaking out. Conversely, bearish flow on a stock approaching a bull exhaustion count (count ≥ 9) is a strong warning to reduce exposure or take profits.
Use the ticker links in the table above to jump to each stock's EdgeOS signal page, where you can see the current bull/bear count, SCTR score, ATR price levels, and chart. Options flow and price structure together are far more predictive than either signal alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is unusual options flow?
Unusual options flow refers to options contracts that trade at abnormally high volumes relative to their open interest — often indicating that institutional traders, hedge funds, or market insiders are positioning for a large directional move. A sweep (filling across multiple market makers) signals urgency; a block (negotiated in a single print) suggests a large institutional bet.
What is a sweep in options flow?
A sweep occurs when a large options order is filled across multiple exchanges simultaneously, indicating the buyer wanted execution speed over price — a sign of urgency and conviction. Sweeps above $50K in premium on liquid names are often considered high-conviction directional bets.
What is a block trade in options?
A block trade is a single large options transaction negotiated directly between two parties off the open market. Blocks often represent institutional hedging or structured trades and can signal positioning ahead of a known catalyst like earnings or a macro event.
How do I know if options flow is bullish or bearish?
Calls bought at the ask (BULLISH) indicate demand for upside exposure. Puts bought at the ask (BEARISH) indicate downside positioning or hedging. In TraderValue, the BULL/BEAR label on each contract combines the bid/ask flag with the option type to determine directional sentiment. High-premium sweeps on calls are typically the strongest bullish signal.
How often does this page update?
The live flow table auto-refreshes every 60 seconds during market hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET). You can also click the ↻ Refresh button at any time to manually pull the latest data.