When today's options volume runs 2x the open interest, someone with conviction is positioning aggressively. Pair the flow with the underlying's catalyst score and you have a real edge.
Options flow is the real-time feed of all options trades executed across exchanges. Every call and put traded by anyone — from retail traders to billion-dollar hedge funds — hits the tape. Options flow analysis focuses on filtering this firehose for the trades that matter: large, aggressive, institutional-sized orders that reveal directional conviction.
When a fund manager buys $2 million in short-dated call options at the ask, that is a strong bullish bet with a ticking clock. Options flow tools capture these trades and present them as actionable signals.
Large order split across multiple exchanges, filled at the ask price. The buyer wants speed over price. The strongest conviction signal in options flow.
Single large transaction negotiated off-exchange and printed to the tape. Blocks over $500K in premium signal institutional activity.
Options volume exceeding 3x the average daily volume at a specific strike. Often precedes news events or earnings surprises.
When daily volume at a strike exceeds the existing open interest, it means new positions are being opened — not existing ones being closed.
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Type (Call/Put) | Directional bet. Calls = bullish, Puts = bearish (usually) |
| Strike price | Where the buyer expects the stock to go. Far OTM = aggressive bet |
| Expiration | Timeframe. Short-dated = near-term catalyst. LEAPs = long-term thesis |
| Premium | Total dollar amount spent. $500K+ = institutional. $50K = could be anyone |
| Side (Ask/Bid/Mid) | Ask = buyer initiated (bullish for calls). Bid = seller initiated |
| Order type | Sweep = urgency. Block = negotiated. Single = standard |
| Volume vs OI | Volume > OI = new positions being opened |
Options flow alone can be noisy. The real edge comes from combining it with SEC filing signals:
Catalyst Edge automatically detects these convergence patterns and flags them in the daily scanner.
Catalyst Edge combines options flow data with SEC filing alerts and insider activity for convergence detection you can't get anywhere else.
Open Options FlowOptions flow is the real-time stream of options trades executed across all exchanges. By filtering for large, aggressive trades — sweeps, blocks, and trades above open interest — traders can identify institutional positioning before it shows up in stock price movement. High-premium call sweeps often precede bullish moves; put sweeps can signal institutional hedging or bearish bets.
A sweep order is a large options order that is split across multiple exchanges simultaneously to get filled as fast as possible. Sweeps signal urgency — the buyer wants the position immediately and is willing to pay the ask price across multiple venues. Sweeps at the ask are considered the highest-conviction bullish (for calls) or bearish (for puts) signals in options flow.
When unusual call buying appears in a stock that also has recent Form 4 insider purchases, the convergence creates a high-conviction signal. The insider knows the company fundamentals; the options trader is positioning for a near-term move. Catalyst Edge combines these signals automatically and flags convergence alerts when multiple independent indicators align on the same ticker.
You looked the term up. The console shows it firing on live tickers this morning.
Tier 1 setups touched +2% intraday 48.9% of the time across 374 tracked calls. Baseline for everything else: 40.9%. That is a +8.0 point edge, measured from the NEXT OPEN — the first price you could actually pay, not the prior close. We publish the misses too: https://catalystedgescanner.com/trust/
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