Option Volume Report
The Option Volume report (Option Volumes in the menu) lists today's option volume for the optionable stocks and ETFs we track: calls and puts, dollar premium, and how both compare with the stock's own average over the last 90 trading days. It is free; a second tab lists stocks whose volume is 80% or more calls or puts.
What is the Option Volume report?
Option volume is the number of option contracts traded. A stock whose options trade far more than usual, or almost only calls or only puts, is drawing unusual interest from option traders. The Option Volume report (Option Volumes in the menu) lists today's option volume for the stocks and ETFs with listed options that we track, with calls and puts, the dollar premium, and how both compare with the stock's own 90-day average.
How the numbers are worked out
- Volume. Contracts traded so far today, calls plus puts, with the number of trades. Stocks with little or no option volume stay on the list.
- The 90-day average. The stock's average daily call and put volume over the last 90 trading days, not counting today. Days with no recorded volume are left out of the average. Relative Volume is today's volume divided by that average: 2.0 means twice a normal day.
- Dollar premium. The $ Notional columns add up the premium paid - price times contracts times the contract multiplier - for calls, puts and both, with their own 90-day average and relative figure.
- Calls against puts. Put % is the puts' share of today's volume. It is highlighted at 80% or more puts, or at 20% or less (mostly calls).
- How it traded. % Single-Leg, % Multi-Leg and % Contingent split each stock's volume by how the trades were reported: on their own, as part of a spread, or tied to a stock trade.
- Updates. The report is rebuilt about every 5 minutes. Until shortly after the open, and on weekends and holidays, it shows the last trading day, with that date above the table.
High volume shows interest, not direction: a big call volume can be traders buying calls or selling them.
What you can find out
Which stocks have the most option volume today?
The table opens with dollar premium (Show Notional Volume) and sorted by Total $ Notional, largest first. Switch to Show Contract Volume and sort by Total Volume for the most contracts. See today's option volume
Which stocks have unusually high option volume for them?
Sort by Relative Volume to 90-Day Avg, or filter Relative Volume above a level. The summary at the top names the biggest spikes among stocks with at least 2,000 contracts traded. For a list of only the unusual ones, with implied volatility, use the Unusual Option Volume report. How unusual options activity works
Is a stock's option volume mostly calls or puts?
Check Put %, or open the High Call or Put Volume tab: stocks with more than 500 contracts, at or above their average volume, where calls or puts make up 80% or more. See call and put volume
How much of a stock's option volume is spreads?
% Multi-Leg is the share traded as parts of spreads; click it to see the stock's multi-leg trades. % Single-Leg links to the stock's single-leg trades. How the Multi-Leg Trade Screener works
Which option strategies are traded most today?
Under the table, Most Active Strategies lists the 20 spread strategies with the most contracts today, for stocks and ETFs and separately for index options, with each one's share of the volume. See the most active strategies
Where to find it
Menu: Options › Features › Option Volumes, or go straight to /Reports/OptionVolumeReport.
The report is free, with filters for stock type, ETF holdings, market cap, volume, relative volume and the call, put and spread shares; signed-in members can also filter by watchlist. Premium and Premium Options members can save presets and download the table. On a phone the table shows fewer columns.
What each column means
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Price, % Chg | The stock's latest price and its change from the previous close |
| Trade Count | Option trades today |
| Total, Call and Put Volume | Contracts traded today |
| 90-Day Avg Volume | Average daily contracts over the last 90 trading days, today not included |
| Relative Volume to 90-Day Avg | Total Volume divided by the 90-day average |
| Put % | Puts as a share of today's volume |
| Total, Call and Put $ Notional | Premium paid today, in dollars, with its 90-day average and relative figure |
| % Single-Leg, % Multi-Leg, % Contingent | The share of volume traded on its own, in spreads, or tied to a stock trade |
FAQ
- How is this different from the Unusual Option Volume report?
- This report lists the optionable stocks and ETFs we track, whatever their volume. Unusual Option Volume lists only the ones trading well above their average, and adds implied volatility.
- Is today's volume compared with a full day's average, even in the morning?
- Yes. Relative Volume divides the volume so far today by a full day's average, so it rises through the day.
- Can I see option volume for an earlier day?
- No. The report shows the current session, or the last one before the open and on weekends and holidays.
- Is the Option Volume report free?
- Yes. Premium and Premium Options members can also save filter presets and download the table.
- What is notional volume?
- The dollar premium of the contracts traded: price times contracts times the contract multiplier, added up for the day.
Related
Analyzing unusual options activity Unusual Stock Volume Option delta volume Multi-Leg Trade Screener guideTerms on this page
Relative volume Notional Put/call ratio Multi-leg trade Contingent tradeMarket Chameleon provides data, not investment advice.