Data through close

XLU max pain, gamma exposure (GEX) & options open interest

As of close · rank #36 by open interest · 1,399 sessions of history since Dec 1, 2020

XLU's nearest-expiration max pain is 40.00 for 2026-10-16, its GEX flip is 39.04, net GEX is 377,348,617, its put/call open-interest ratio is 1.33. These are whole-chain derived aggregates as of Oct 9, 2026 close.

XLU max pain and GEX snapshot

End-of-day snapshot for . Nearest-expiration max pain uses the expiry shown on its card; GEX uses the whole chain. Missing values are unavailable, not zero.

Nearest-expiration max pain
40.00
-3.4% from close
Expiry: 2026-10-16
GEX flip
39.04
-5.7% from close
Net GEX
377,348,617
13,401,801 per 100k OI
Call wall
41.00
-1.0% from close
Put wall
40.00
-3.4% from close
Put/call OI
1.33
1,606,390 puts / 1,209,266 calls

Prices are in US dollars per share. Net GEX is modeled dollar-delta change per $1 underlying move. Max pain minimizes aggregate intrinsic payout for that expiration; it is not a closing-price forecast. Signed GEX uses calls positive and puts negative, a model convention rather than observed dealer inventory. The flip is a confirmed zero crossing; walls locate side-specific concentrations, not guaranteed support or resistance.

Learn how to read the max pain payout example, GEX chart, gamma flip and walls, and open interest versus trading volume.

Close
41.41
prev 41.07
Gamma max
41.57
+0.4% from close
Delta neutral
40.49
-2.2% from close
Gamma neutral
39.04
-5.7% from close
Open interest
2,815,656
-3.0% vs prev
Contracts listed
677
424 calls · 300 puts

Advanced options analysis

Public aggregate analysis from the dated chain, normalized where possible for comparison across tickers. Catalyst intensity measures unusual pricing and activity; it does not identify an event, predict direction, or establish that an investment is attractive.

Catalyst intensity
46.1
cross-sectional score / 100
Directional score
-23.4
relatively bearish positioning
IV rank
33.3
within trailing 52-week range
Front IV premium
1.4 pp
front minus back volatility difference
25Δ risk reversal
0.8 pp
put IV minus call IV
IV butterfly
3.2 pp
front-window smile convexity
Volume / open interest
0.04
124,430 contracts traded
Normalized net delta
0.070
option-holder convention
Modeled dealer delta
-0.068
opposite-side scenario
Vanna / 100k OI
5,160
volatility-sensitive delta
Charm / 100k OI
-388,699
time-decay-sensitive delta
IV surface range
165.4 pp
aggregate volatility dispersion

Strongest relative signals: front IV premium 1.4 pp

Download the dated aggregate analysis JSON .

XLU closed 0.4% below its gamma max of 41.57. It is 2.2% above the delta neutral price of 40.49. Total open interest is 2,815,656, -3.0% versus the previous session. Its options catalyst-intensity score is 46.1 out of 100, led by front IV premium 1.4 pp. What gamma max means · What delta neutral means

Call versus put open interest changes

Growth compares outstanding contracts on each side. A positive growth gap favors calls; a negative gap favors puts. Standardized surprises compare each measure with its own prior history. These describe the OI balance, not IV skew or buying direction.

XLU call and put open interest changes
Measure Value
Call OI change, 1 session -86,823 contracts · -6.7%
Put OI change, 1 session +522 contracts · +0.0%
Call minus put OI growth, 1 session -6.7 pp
Call OI change, 5 sessions +93,627 contracts · +8.4%
Put OI change, 5 sessions +39,075 contracts · +2.5%
Call minus put OI growth, 5 sessions +5.9 pp
Daily call OI change surprise -2.11σ (252 prior changes)
Daily put OI change surprise -0.06σ (252 prior changes)
Daily call-minus-put growth surprise -1.12σ (252 prior changes)

History

2025-10 2026-10
close delta neutral gamma max
Full history since 2020: drag to pan, scroll to zoom, hover for values. Open full-screen chart

Analysis visualizations

Daily ticker aggregates through 2026-10-09. Contract-level charts are outside the public dataset.

Aggregate IV history

Chart loads when this section is in view.

What followed prior gamma-max crosses?

Each historical path starts at 0% on the cross date and follows the close for ten subsequent trading sessions. Cohorts use the same direction as labelled and require gamma max to be within 10% of the close on both crossing sessions.

Crosses below gamma max 12 completed Day +10 paths · latest Oct 17, 2025
XLU returns after crossing below gamma max Historical close-to-close return paths from Day 0 through Day 10, with the median, middle fifty percent, and a nominal confidence interval for the median. -6.0% -3.0% 0% +3.0% +6.0% Cross on Apr 8, 2021 Cross on Apr 16, 2021 Cross on Aug 17, 2021 Cross on Dec 17, 2021 Cross on Dec 30, 2021 Cross on Aug 11, 2022 Cross on Aug 19, 2022 Cross on Apr 6, 2023 Cross on May 10, 2024 Cross on Sep 18, 2024 Cross on Oct 9, 2025 Cross on Oct 17, 2025 Day 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10
prior crosses middle 50% of outcomes nominal ≥90% median interval median
XLU historical gamma-max cross outcomes after closing below
Horizon n Median Middle 50% Above zero Nominal ≥90% median interval Confidence floor
Day +1 12 -0.3% -0.5% to -0.0% 17% -0.6% to 0.0% 0.0%
Day +2 12 -0.1% -0.7% to +0.5% 42% -0.8% to +0.8% 0.0%
Day +3 12 +0.5% -0.5% to +1.4% 50% -1.0% to +1.7% 0.0%
Day +4 12 -0.2% -0.9% to +1.8% 42% -1.0% to +2.2% 0.0%
Day +5 12 -0.1% -1.0% to +1.5% 50% -1.3% to +1.5% 0.0%
Day +6 12 +0.5% -0.9% to +2.6% 58% -1.3% to +2.9% 0.0%
Day +7 12 +0.1% -1.7% to +1.9% 50% -1.9% to +3.0% 0.0%
Day +8 12 -0.2% -1.8% to +2.4% 50% -2.4% to +3.8% 0.0%
Day +9 12 -0.4% -1.6% to +2.6% 42% -2.0% to +3.5% 0.0%
Day +10 12 -0.3% -1.2% to +2.1% 42% -2.0% to +2.7% 0.0%
Crosses above gamma max 12 completed Day +10 paths · latest Oct 13, 2025
XLU returns after crossing above gamma max Historical close-to-close return paths from Day 0 through Day 10, with the median, middle fifty percent, and a nominal confidence interval for the median. -6.0% -3.0% 0% +3.0% +6.0% Cross on Apr 7, 2021 Cross on Apr 12, 2021 Cross on Aug 13, 2021 Cross on Dec 15, 2021 Cross on Dec 29, 2021 Cross on Aug 9, 2022 Cross on Aug 12, 2022 Cross on Apr 5, 2023 Cross on May 9, 2024 Cross on Sep 13, 2024 Cross on Oct 7, 2025 Cross on Oct 13, 2025 Day 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10
prior crosses middle 50% of outcomes nominal ≥90% median interval median
XLU historical gamma-max cross outcomes after closing above
Horizon n Median Middle 50% Above zero Nominal ≥90% median interval Confidence floor
Day +1 12 +0.7% +0.4% to +0.8% 83% +0.4% to +0.8% +0.4%
Day +2 12 +0.6% +0.3% to +0.8% 75% -0.1% to +1.1% 0.0%
Day +3 12 +0.2% -0.1% to +1.0% 67% -0.1% to +1.1% 0.0%
Day +4 12 +0.8% +0.2% to +1.4% 75% -0.6% to +1.7% 0.0%
Day +5 12 +1.4% +0.7% to +1.8% 83% +0.5% to +2.0% +0.5%
Day +6 12 +1.0% -0.4% to +2.8% 58% -0.6% to +3.0% 0.0%
Day +7 12 +0.9% -0.6% to +3.4% 50% -0.7% to +3.5% 0.0%
Day +8 12 +0.7% -0.4% to +2.8% 58% -0.6% to +3.0% 0.0%
Day +9 12 +1.0% +0.2% to +2.5% 83% +0.2% to +2.7% +0.2%
Day +10 12 +0.8% +0.0% to +2.3% 75% -0.2% to +2.9% 0.0%

Returns are close-to-close after the labelled number of subsequent trading sessions. The confidence floor is the closest-to-zero bound of the order-statistic median interval; it is zero when that interval spans zero. Its coverage is nominally at least 90% under independent observations. Historical paths can overlap, so the interval and floor are descriptive uncertainty guides rather than formal coverage guarantees. Historical, not a forecast.

Last 252 sessions

XLU trailing historical statistics
Sessions closed above gamma max 2%
Gamma max crosses 2
Delta neutral crosses 22
Prior-year sessions closer to gamma max 1.6% of 252
Prior-year sessions closer to delta neutral 66.7% of 252
Open interest percentile (1y) 99th
Daily open interest change versus prior year -0.94σ (-86,301 contracts; 252 prior changes)
Open interest change, 5 sessions +4.9%
Open interest change, 21 sessions +48.6%
History available Dec 1, 2020 → Oct 9, 2026

Recent crosses

  1. closed above delta neutral at 41.16 vs 40.18 (+2.4%)
  2. closed below delta neutral at 43.77 vs 43.91 (-0.3%)
  3. closed above delta neutral at 44.02 vs 43.90 (+0.3%)
  4. closed below delta neutral at 44.18 vs 44.20 (-0.0%)
  5. closed above delta neutral at 44.04 vs 43.83 (+0.5%)
  6. closed below delta neutral at 44.66 vs 44.76 (-0.2%)
  7. closed above delta neutral at 44.72 vs 44.32 (+0.9%)
  8. closed below delta neutral at 44.46 vs 44.58 (-0.3%)
  9. closed above delta neutral at 44.74 vs 44.60 (+0.3%)
  10. closed below delta neutral at 44.62 vs 45.01 (-0.9%)

In today's screens

Neighbours by open interest

Cite or embed this snapshot

Share the dated 1600×840 image or cite this canonical page. The card contains public derived aggregates, not contract-level quotes.

Open share image

Canonical source: https://halfonadouble.com/stock/XLU

Questions people ask about XLU

What is XLU's max pain for the nearest expiration?

As of Oct 9, 2026 close, nearest-expiration max pain is 40.00 for the 2026-10-16 expiration. It is a payout-minimizing strike for one expiration. An all-expiration pooled value is a different comparison, and neither establishes where the underlying will close. Max pain definition and worked payout example.

Our 2025 max-pain study compares historical Thursday levels with Friday underlying closes and an unchanged-price baseline. Its scope and results are separate from this current ticker snapshot.

What do XLU's gamma exposure and gamma flip show?

Signed net GEX is 377,348,617 as of Oct 9, 2026 close. The confirmed GEX flip is 39.04. These aggregate model outputs use calls positive and puts negative. Their sign does not identify dealers' actual positions or predict the next move. How to interpret GEX, gamma flip and walls.

Where is XLU's gamma max today?

As of Oct 9, 2026, the gamma max for XLU is 41.57, +0.4% from the 41.41 close. Gamma max is the underlying price at which the summed gamma of every open contract is largest; how it is computed and why it matters.

Is XLU above or below its delta neutral price?

XLU closed above delta neutral: 41.41 against a delta neutral price of 40.49. The delta neutral price is where the summed delta of the whole chain is zero; the definition.

How much open interest does XLU have?

2,815,656 contracts of open interest across 677 listed contracts on Oct 9, 2026, -3.0% versus the previous session. What open interest measures.

Levels are recomputed after every trading day from licensed end-of-day options data; only derived aggregates are published. Methodology · Data and licence · Not investment advice.