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CRCL Options Chain — Open Interest, Implied Volatility, Max Pain & Gamma Exposure

Analyze the complete CRCL options chain including strike-level open interest, real-time implied volatility (IV), max pain levels, gamma exposure, dealer positioning, and options flow trends. This dashboard provides data-driven insights for traders building directional or hedging strategies around CRCL.

Latest Data: 2025-12-23 (EDT)
Max Pain Price
89
Exp: 2025-12-26
Gamma Flip
84.50
Gamma Flip (≈60 days)
Put/Call OI Ratio
1.124
Shows put vs call positioning
IV Skew
0.76
Put–call IV difference
Max Pain Price Volatility
σ = 77.68
high volatility

Dealer–Gamma Regime

A combined view of CRCL’s total gamma exposure (GEX) and Dealer Position Index (DPI). This helps identify whether dealer hedging flows support mean reversion or trend continuation in the current options market.

Overall Market Regime
Mean Reversion Zone
Long Gamma · Strong Net Short Options · Low Volatility
Low Volatility Mean Reversion Bias DPI Trend: bearish

Gamma Exposure
Total GEX
52.21M
Gamma Regime
Long Gamma
Flip Threshold: 84

In a long gamma regime, dealers hedge against price moves, strengthening mean reversion and suppressing volatility.

Dealer Position Index (DPI)
Current DPI
-0.282
Dealer Positioning
Strong Net Short Options
Trend Label: bearish

A Strong Net Short Options profile indicates how dealers hedge daily flows, influencing whether trends extend or revert.


Market Behavior (Gamma Flip–Based)

Price moves may extend once a direction forms.

The short-term gamma flip is near 84.42 , with intermediate positioning around 84.50 . The mid-term gamma flip remains near 84.57.


Combined Interpretation

With Long Gamma and a bearish DPI trend , the current setup favors Mean Reversion Zone .

Dealer hedging flows interact with gamma positioning to form short-term volatility regimes. Stronger directional movement is more likely when gamma is short or unstable.

Volatility Environment
Low Volatility
Trend vs Mean Reversion
Mean Reversion Bias
Dealer Hedging Behavior
Strong Net Short Options

Options-Based Market Outlook & Short-Term Sentiment for CRCL • As of 2025-12-23
Neutral Outlook (Confidence: 85%)

The options structure reflects a high-confidence neutral environment. Dealer positioning and volatility suppression suggest a stable range-bound setup rather than a directional move. A strong confidence score reflects high directional consensus—or, in the case of neutral bias, a stable volatility regime.


Put-Side Positioning Insight
Looking only at the put-side activity, there is a bearish directional push. This suggests some traders are actively betting on downside. Confidence: 67%


Key Price Levels: Support, Resistance & Pivot for CRCL
The support levels for CRCL are at 79.91, 76.63, and 51.76, while the resistance levels are at 85.55, 88.83, and 113.70. The pivot point, a key reference price for traders, is at 89.00.

Important intraday and swing-trading price levels derived from max pain, open interest distribution, and gamma positioning. These price levels are derived from Max Pain analysis, gamma exposure trends, and open interest dynamics, which are crucial factors for assessing market sentiment and potential price movements. Traders can use the support and resistance levels to identify key price zones for entry or exit points, while the pivot point serves as an important reference for gauging trend direction.


Option-Implied Price Range (DTE: 3)
Based on the latest options positioning (DTE 3), the ATM straddle implies a standardized 2.58% 1-day move.
The expected range for the next 3 days is 79.69 87.06 , corresponding to +5.23% / -3.67% .

Bullish flow suggests upside interest toward 89.25 (7.88% above spot).

Bearish positioning points to downside pressure toward 78.37 (5.27% below spot).

Options flow strength: 0.82 (0–1 scale).

ATM Strike: 83.00, Call: 1.16, Put: 2.54, Straddle Cost: 3.70.

Estimated using ATM implied volatility, OTM option flow, and dealer hedging conditions to capture the market-implied price range.

📘 Show Options Market Insight

1. Core Volatility Signal (2.58% Standardized 1-Day Move)

“The ATM straddle implies a standardized 1-day move of 2.58%.”

This means:

  • Implied volatility is high.
  • The market is expecting sizable price swings.
  • Risk perception is elevated across option flows.

📌 Plain interpretation: Traders are paying for protection — volatility is meaningfully elevated.

2. Expected Price Range (Next 3 Days)

The options market is pricing the following risk range:
79.69 – 87.06

Upper: +5.23%  •  Lower: -3.67%

🔺 Bullish Skew — upside potential outweighs downside risk.

3. Bullish Flow vs Bearish Flow

▶ Bullish Flow

Upside interest clusters near 89.25 (7.88% above spot).
This region may act as short-term resistance.

▶ Bearish Flow

Downside pressure clusters near 78.37 (5.27% below spot).
This is a downside “magnet zone” where put demand concentrates.

4. Flow Strength: 0.82

Flow strength is moderate to strong, suggesting that today's positioning carries informational value.

5. ATM Straddle Cost

The ATM straddle costs 3.70 (4.47% of spot).

⚠️ Extremely high volatility premium — the market is bracing for a major event.

🔥 Professional Summary

1️⃣ The options market leans toward upside potential.
2️⃣ Implied volatility is high — the market expects significant movement.
3️⃣ Call activity dominates — traders position for upside moves.
4️⃣ FlowStrength 0.82 supports meaningful conviction behind today's positioning.

⭐ One-sentence takeaway: The options market reflects a mild bullish tilt for CRCL.

The insights are generated by an AI-driven options analysis model. We strongly recommend interpreting the data in the context of your own judgment and market understanding.

DPI Trend Index

Dealer Position Index (DPI) tracks how options dealers are positioned. Rising DPI → dealers long options (mean reversion). Falling DPI → dealers short options (trend amplification).
DPI does not predict direction. It only answers one question: once price moves, will the market reinforce that move? DPI reflects the direction and strength of dealer gamma exposure — not a bullish or bearish call.

Latest Trend Interpretation:

✅ Strong confirmed bearish, trend and momentum are aligned

Gamma Exposure & Expiry Risk Zones

Gamma Exposure (GEX) defines how option dealer hedging interacts with price moves. Large expiries can sharply alter hedging pressure and trigger volatility shifts.

Market GEX vs Price History

Aggregate gamma exposure plotted with underlying price. Sharp GEX declines or flip-zone tests often precede increased volatility.

GEX Danger Zone Overview
Symbol: CRCL • Snapshot: 2025-12-23
Total GEX: 52.21M (Regime: Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility), Flip = 31.06M)
Max Danger Expiry: 2026-01-16 (DTE=24)
Expiry GEX: 17.68M (Contribution=33.9%)
Post-Expiry GEX: 34.53M (Regime: Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility))
Expiry DTE GEX Contrib % Post-Expiry GEX Post Regime Tag
2026-01-16 24 17.68M 33.9% 34.53M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2025-12-26 3 16.83M 32.2% 35.37M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-01-02 10 4.97M 9.5% 47.24M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-02-20 59 3.71M 7.1% 48.49M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-03-20 87 2.46M 4.7% 49.74M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-01-09 17 1.43M 2.7% 50.77M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-06-18 177 1.41M 2.7% 50.8M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-04-17 115 1.07M 2.0% 51.14M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-01-30 38 679.01K 1.3% 51.53M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2027-01-15 388 533.91K 1.0% 51.67M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-01-23 31 438.43K 0.8% 51.77M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-12-18 360 363.66K 0.7% 51.84M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-09-18 269 326.3K 0.6% 51.88M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2026-07-17 206 154.02K 0.3% 52.05M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2028-01-21 759 85.65K 0.2% 52.12M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2028-06-16 906 34.51K 0.1% 52.17M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)
2027-12-17 724 29.68K 0.1% 52.18M Long Gamma (Mean Reversion / Low Volatility)

Vanna Exposure & Risk Zone

Vanna measures how delta changes when implied volatility shifts. Heavy negative Vanna clusters can amplify volatility during IV shocks.

Current Vanna Exposure Overview
Symbol: CRCL • Snapshot: 2025-12-23
Total Vanna
16.18M
Net delta–vol sensitivity
Vanna Regime
Positive Vanna (Volatility Dampening)
Sensitivity to IV shocks
Max Danger Expiry
2026-01-16 (DTE 24)
Contribution: 37.4%
Large negative Vanna clusters increase hedging pressure during volatility spikes, amplifying directional trends.
Vanna Danger Zone Details
Symbol: CRCL • Snapshot: 2025-12-23
Total Vanna: 16.18M ( Positive Vanna )
Max Danger Expiry: 2026-01-16 (DTE=24)
Expiry Vanna: 6.05M (Contribution=37.4%)
Post-Expiry Vanna: 10.13M (More Positive — Volatility Dampening)
Expiry DTE Vanna Contrib % Post-Expiry Post Regime Tag
2026-01-16 24 6.05M 37.4% 10.13M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2025-12-26 3 5.14M 31.8% 11.04M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-02-20 59 1.85M 11.4% 14.33M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-01-02 10 1.01M 6.2% 15.17M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-03-20 87 1.01M 6.2% 15.17M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-06-18 177 457.01K 2.8% 15.72M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-04-17 115 340.19K 2.1% 15.84M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-12-18 360 237.27K 1.5% 15.94M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2027-01-15 388 169.93K 1.1% 16.01M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-01-09 17 130.97K 0.8% 16.05M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-09-18 269 -121.65K 0.8% 16.3M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-01-23 31 85.48K 0.5% 16.09M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-01-30 38 -49.47K 0.3% 16.23M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2028-01-21 759 -38.46K 0.2% 16.22M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2026-07-17 206 -33.69K 0.2% 16.21M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2028-06-16 906 -29.77K 0.2% 16.21M More Positive (Stabilizing)
2027-12-17 724 -21.22K 0.1% 16.2M More Positive (Stabilizing)

Volatility Structure & Term Structure

Short-dated and medium-term implied volatility, term structure shape, downside skew, and realized volatility context.

ATM IV Term Structure Snapshot
Symbol: CRCL • As of 2025-12-23
30D ATM IV
67.23%
Front-end implied volatility
90D ATM IV
72.16%
Medium-term volatility anchor
IV Ratio (90D / 30D)
1.07
Long-term vs short-term IV
Term Structure Regime
Contango (Long-term Elevated)
Slope: 4.94 pts (30D→90D).

Smile Slope (Put25 – Call25)
10.54%
Downside skew / crash premium
HV 21D vs IV
HV 21D: 86.24%
IV – HV: -19.02%
Options trade cheap vs realized volatility.
IV Percentile / Rank
Percentile: 2.8%
Rank: 0.0%
Relative to 1-year history.
IV Z-Score
-1.46
Deviation vs recent average

ATM IV Term Structure

30D · 90D

IV vs Realized Volatility

HV 21D vs 30D IV
A contango structure shows longer-term volatility is priced higher. Smile slope reflects downside protection demand, while IV percentile and rank show how current IV compares to its own history.

CRCL Max Pain — Daily Levels, Trend, Volatility Pressure & Options Positioning

Daily Max Pain levels with trend shifts, volatility pressure and options positioning cycles.

Max Pain Price Trend Index

Latest Trend Interpretation

Max Pain is stable, reflecting neutral options positioning.

↗️ Trend strength: Mild upward.

🔼 Recent movement: Slight upward shift in Max Pain.

Trend Shifts

Green = Bullish • Dark Green = Strong Bullish • Gray = Neutral • Red = Bearish • Dark Red = Strong Bearish

Current OI Structure Reliability

OI Concentration / Pain Reliability · Dec 23 2025
Reliability: 48.5 (moderate)
Max Pain @ 89.00 | Concentration=0.05 · Symmetry=0.83 · Sharpness=2.14
Reason
Some OI clustering exists but lacks clear dominance.
Advice
Treat Max Pain as secondary — combine with gamma, DPI, or trend.

Max Pain Price Mean Reversion

Latest Mean Reversion Status
Dec 23 2025
Neutral (Z = -0.08)
Price is near Max Pain, showing balanced options pressure.
Price vs Max Pain Distance
Show Mean Reversion History
Date Price Max Pain Distance Z-Score Signal
2025-12-23 82.73 89.00 -6.27 -0.08 neutral
2025-12-22 87.00 87.00 0.00 0.00 neutral
2025-12-19 86.13 110.00 -23.87 -0.31 neutral
2025-12-18 80.99 110.00 -29.01 -0.37 neutral
2025-12-16 83.00 105.00 -22.00 -0.28 neutral
2025-12-15 75.46 120.00 -44.54 -0.57 neutral
2025-12-12 83.47 80.00 3.47 0.04 neutral
2025-12-11 88.57 80.00 8.57 0.11 neutral
2025-12-10 88.41 79.00 9.41 0.12 neutral
2025-12-09 88.88 76.00 12.88 0.17 neutral
2025-12-08 83.96 75.00 8.96 0.12 neutral
2025-12-05 85.62 78.00 7.62 0.10 neutral
2025-12-04 87.46 78.00 9.46 0.12 neutral
2025-12-03 86.29 78.00 8.29 0.11 neutral
2025-12-02 77.44 77.00 0.44 0.01 neutral
2025-12-01 75.94 80.00 -4.06 -0.05 neutral
2025-11-28 79.93 170.00 -90.07 -1.16 oversold
2025-11-26 72.64 100.00 -27.36 -0.35 neutral
2025-11-25 70.11 100.00 -29.89 -0.38 neutral
2025-11-24 72.74 117.00 -44.26 -0.57 neutral
2025-11-21 71.33 385.00 -313.67 -4.04 oversold
2025-11-20 66.93 360.00 -293.07 -3.77 oversold
2025-11-19 69.72 300.00 -230.28 -2.96 oversold
2025-11-18 76.60 300.00 -223.40 -2.88 oversold
2025-11-17 76.59 250.00 -173.41 -2.23 oversold
2025-11-14 81.89 132.00 -50.11 -0.65 neutral
2025-11-13 82.34 125.00 -42.66 -0.55 neutral
2025-11-12 86.30 115.00 -28.70 -0.37 neutral
2025-11-11 98.30 125.00 -26.70 -0.34 neutral
2025-11-07 103.14 135.00 -31.86 -0.41 neutral
2025-11-06 100.01 136.00 -35.99 -0.46 neutral
2025-11-05 113.03 136.00 -22.97 -0.30 neutral
2025-11-04 111.25 140.00 -28.75 -0.37 neutral
2025-11-03 117.86 140.00 -22.14 -0.29 neutral
2025-10-31 126.98 147.00 -20.02 -0.26 neutral
2025-10-30 122.71 70.00 52.71 0.68 neutral
2025-10-29 131.74 147.00 -15.26 -0.20 neutral
2025-10-28 136.11 148.00 -11.89 -0.15 neutral

Mean Reversion Backtest

Backtest Summary
Total Signals: 6 (Long: 6 · Short: 0)
1-Day Performance
Avg Return: -1.57%
Win Rate: 50.0%
3-Day Performance
Avg Return: -0.10%
Win Rate: 66.7%
Show Last 10 Trades
Date Signal Side Entry 1D Ret 3D Ret
2025-11-28 oversold long 79.93 -4.99% 7.96%
2025-11-21 oversold long 71.33 1.98% 1.84%
2025-11-20 oversold long 66.93 6.57% 4.75%
2025-11-19 oversold long 69.72 -4.00% 4.33%
2025-11-18 oversold long 76.60 -8.98% -6.88%
2025-11-17 oversold long 76.59 0.01% -12.61%

Historical Max Pain Effectiveness

Based on historical behavior (not current OI)
Weak Influence
Max Pain has shown occasional influence but not consistently.
Win Rate
1D: 50.0%
3D: 66.7%
Reversion Strength
0.41
Noise Score
0.00
Score (Win)
24.0 / 40
Score (Strength)
16.2 / 40
Score (Noise)
0.0 / 20
Historical Effectiveness Score: 40.2 (neutral)
Disclaimer

Our analysis incorporates options market microstructure, institutional flow patterns, gamma and vanna dynamics, and dealer hedging models. The analytics and insights provided on this page are generated from a multi-factor options microstructure model, supported by WhaleQuant’s AI forecasting framework. These results reflect structural dynamics such as dealer positioning, hedging flows, volatility regimes, open interest concentration, and term structure behavior.

The outputs shown—including bias assessments and confidence scores—represent directional tendencies based on option market structure and should not be interpreted as price predictions, probability forecasts, or investment advice. Market conditions can change rapidly, and all analyses are provided for informational purposes only.