Option volume spike report
Cumulative session volume and open interest per symbol, expiry and strike over a date range, with calls and puts side by side.
Overview
The Option volume spike (cumulative volume & OI by strike) report adds up each strike's session-close volume and open interest over a date range, with calls and puts next to each other. It shows which strikes collected the most activity over days or weeks rather than in one session.
The data delay depends on your plan and is shown on every view: the as-of time and the delayed label sit above the results. On the Free plan reports show the previous session.
How the report is built
- For each symbol, expiration and strike: the sum of session-close volume and the sum of session-close open interest over the range.
- Only expirations still open at the End date.
- Default range = every summarised session up to the latest one your plan can read.
Before you start
Any signed-in plan can open the report from Research → Reports. Your plan decides how fresh the data is and how much history you can read. CSV export needs a plan that includes it.
Steps
- Open Research → Reports, choose Volume and open Option volume spike (cumulative volume & OI by strike).
- Enter Symbol(s) (optional) and a Start date and End date.
- Press Run.
- Use Export CSV to download the rows (plans with CSV export).
Report inputs
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Symbol(s) | Optional. One or more symbols. |
| Start date / End date | The sessions to add up. |
Columns and metrics
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The stock or ETF. |
| Option Expiry Date | The expiration. |
| Strike Price | The strike. |
| Total Volume | Call volume + put volume, summed over the sessions. |
| Call Volume | Session-close call volume summed over the sessions. |
| Put Volume | Session-close put volume summed over the sessions. |
| Total OI | Call OI + put OI, summed over the sessions. |
| Call OI | Session-close call open interest summed over the sessions. |
| Put OI | Session-close put open interest summed over the sessions. |
| Sessions | How many sessions were added up. |
Percentages are stored as fractions and displayed as percentages (0.05 is shown as 5 %). An unknown value shows as "-", never as 0.
How to read it
- Volume totals add each day's trading, so a strike that traded steadily can outrank one that spiked once.
- Open interest is a level, not a flow: summing it over sessions weights strikes that held positions for many days. Divide by Sessions for the average open interest.
- Compare the call and put columns at the same strike to see which side carried the activity.
Example
Illustrative only - the symbol and numbers are invented.
XYZ 15 January 150 strike over 3 sessions: Total Volume 300 (Call Volume 220, Put Volume 80), Total OI 3,000 (Call OI 2,100, Put OI 900), Sessions 3 - an average of 1,000 contracts open per session.
Using it in your research
- Find the strikes that drew sustained interest in the run-up to an event.
- Pair it with the OI vs price chart to see how activity at those strikes evolved with the stock price.
Treat every row as a starting point for your own research, not as a signal. Volume and open interest never say whether a trade was a buy or a sell.
Troubleshooting
An expiration is missing
Only expirations still open at the End date are listed. Move the End date earlier to include expired series.
The report shows "No Records Found"
The filters may be too narrow for the session, or the session has only just opened. Widen a threshold, clear the symbol, or check the as-of time to see which session you are reading. On the Free plan you read the previous session.