Option expiries beyond the 10am cut
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 8:33 am
Many daily expiries get attention, but weekly and monthly ones carry weight too. Large open interest at a strike on a Friday can influence price throughout the week as dealers hedge.
The effect is hardest to measure. Gamma hedging means that dealers who have sold options buy as price falls toward a strike and sell as it rises, which dampens movement near the strike. Away from it, hedging can amplify moves.
A scalper who sees heavy interest at a nearby strike might expect range behaviour around it, and a stronger move once price moves away. It's a nuance, not a rule.
Bank research notes and some data sites publish expiry lists. They're approximate, but they give a rough map. Marking the biggest strikes on the chart each morning takes a moment.
After a month, the notes will show whether those levels behaved differently from ordinary round numbers. Either answer is useful.
Which expiry sources are trusted, and are strikes tracked against what price did?
The effect is hardest to measure. Gamma hedging means that dealers who have sold options buy as price falls toward a strike and sell as it rises, which dampens movement near the strike. Away from it, hedging can amplify moves.
A scalper who sees heavy interest at a nearby strike might expect range behaviour around it, and a stronger move once price moves away. It's a nuance, not a rule.
Bank research notes and some data sites publish expiry lists. They're approximate, but they give a rough map. Marking the biggest strikes on the chart each morning takes a moment.
After a month, the notes will show whether those levels behaved differently from ordinary round numbers. Either answer is useful.
Which expiry sources are trusted, and are strikes tracked against what price did?