Tool guide
Unusual Activity
Proprietary scoring on volume-to-OI, premium size, and bid-ask execution flags the trades that matter: 85+ is significant, 95+ is institutional-grade.
Open the tool →What it is
The main feed of institutional options flow — every alert that scores 85+ is surfaced here in real time. The raw $20k+ options tape, scored. Every print that clears the premium floor lands here with a conviction score attached.
Reading the flow table
- Premium — total dollars on the trade (price × volume × 100). The headline conviction number; bigger premium = more capital committed.
- Volume vs Open Interest (Vol/OI) — volume far above existing open interest means brand-new positioning, not closing of old contracts.
- Score — the 0–125 algorithmic conviction score. Only flows scoring 85+ surface in the default feed.
- Type, Strike, Expiry, DTE — the contract itself. Short DTE = urgency/catalyst; long DTE = thesis positioning.
- Sentiment — directional read from how the trade executed (buyer hitting the ask = directional bet; seller hitting the bid = closing/neutral).
The four pattern types
- GOLDEN SWEEP — highest conviction: a $1M+ sweep where volume exceeds open interest, near the money. Aggressive, urgent institutional buying.
- SWEEP — an order filled aggressively across multiple exchanges in under ~2 minutes. Pays up for immediate fills.
- BLOCK — one large negotiated trade. Size/conviction over speed.
- SPLIT — execution deliberately spread over a few minutes to minimize impact. Less urgent.
The score (0–125)
Four weighted components, plus bonuses:
- Vol/OI ratio (max 40) — measured against the ticker's own 30-day percentile baseline.
- Premium size (max 30) — $1M+ = 30 pts, $500K+ = 20 pts.
- Bid/ask spread tightness (max 15) — tighter than the ticker's average = more institutional.
- DTE conviction (max 15) — 30–90 DTE (thesis) and 0DTE (urgency) score highest.
- Bonuses — SWEEP/GOLDEN +15, BLOCK +10, contra-market positioning +10.
Quality tiers: Unusual 85+, High Conviction 95+, Institutional 110+, Extreme 130+.
Sentiment — opening vs closing
Sentiment comes from how the trade executed against the spread. Bullish = calls bought at the ask (opening a directional bet). Bearish = puts bought at the ask. Neutral/Closing = calls or puts sold at the bid (position exits, not directional bets).
When to use it
Start of session, and any time a name shows up somewhere else and you want to know whether the tape agrees. Sort by score first, not premium — a $2M print at score 86 is a hedge; a $300k print at score 134 is someone with a strong opinion.
Watch it
Concepts used here
- Premium sizeThe total dollars spent on a trade — the headline conviction number.
- Vol/OI ratioVolume divided by open interest — a ratio above 1 means brand-new positioning.
- New moneyVolume far above open interest — fresh positioning, not closing an old trade.
- Golden sweepAn aggressive multi-exchange sweep large enough to clear our highest conviction bar.
- DTEDays to Expiration — low DTE signals urgency; high DTE signals a longer-horizon thesis.