Options Flow Scanner
for Active Traders
The options market often reveals directional conviction before price moves are visible in the stock. TradeAI News scans unusual call and put activity, IV spikes, and large sweeps across 1,000+ tickers — and integrates this data into every AI signal score so you see the full picture.
What Is Options Flow?
Options flow is the real-time stream of options contracts being bought and sold across all US exchanges. Every options trade is publicly reported and processed by market data providers, making it accessible for analysis. The challenge is not access — it is filtering the noise to find the signals that matter.
Standard options volume is meaningless on its own. What matters is whether today's volume is anomalous relative to historical norms for that specific ticker, strike, and expiration. A stock that normally trades 200 contracts per day seeing 5,000 contracts trade on a specific OTM call is a statistical anomaly that warrants attention. TradeAI News automates this detection continuously across more than 1,000 tickers.
Why Options Flow Reveals Smart Money
The options market attracts well-capitalized, sophisticated participants who often position ahead of known or anticipated catalysts. When a hedge fund or institutional trader believes a significant event is imminent, options provide leverage and defined risk — making them the preferred instrument for expressing directional conviction before the stock moves.
The key insight is not that all large options trades are informed — many are hedges, covered calls, or mechanical strategies. The signal emerges from the combination: large directional options volume + OTM strikes + short expirations + occurring alongside other signals (dark pool prints, news catalysts). That multi-dimensional pattern is what the TradeAI News options scoring layer is designed to detect.
What TradeAI News Tracks
Options Flow + News Catalyst Combination
The most powerful signal on TradeAI News occurs when unusual options activity and a news catalyst occur in the same stock within a short time window. This combination suggests that multiple sophisticated participants are positioning simultaneously — options buyers are expressing directional conviction while the news pipeline is detecting a catalyst in real time.
When both the catalyst and options layers detect significant activity for the same ticker, the composite TMS score is typically elevated into SEND PREMIUM or SEND NOW range. This is why Pro and Elite subscribers receive qualitatively different signals than Basic subscribers — they see the full multi-layer scoring in effect.
Similarly, when options flow aligns with dark pool accumulation, the combination is even stronger. See the Dark Pool Tracker page for details on how these two signal types interact.
Options Flow in the Dashboard
Pro and Elite subscribers have access to the Options Flow Scanner tab in the TradeAI News dashboard. The tab displays a real-time feed of unusual options activity, sortable by significance score, ticker, and expiration. Each entry shows the ticker, strike, expiration, volume vs average, put/call designation, and the current TMS-adjusted score for that ticker.
The scanner also includes a summary view showing which sectors are seeing unusual options activity in aggregate — useful for identifying macro positioning or sector rotation ahead of major events. Filters allow you to focus on specific sectors, market caps, or expiration windows.
Plans with Options Flow Access
Frequently Asked Questions
What is options flow in trading?
Options flow refers to the real-time stream of options contracts being bought and sold in the market. "Unusual" options flow occurs when volume or open interest for a specific contract significantly exceeds historical norms — for example, a stock that normally sees 500 options contracts per day suddenly seeing 10,000 contracts trade on a specific strike and expiration. This anomaly can indicate that sophisticated traders (often institutions or informed participants) are positioning aggressively before an anticipated price move.
What is a sweep in options trading?
An options sweep is a single large order that simultaneously hits multiple exchanges to ensure fast, complete execution. Instead of placing a single order on one exchange and waiting for it to fill, a sweep order is split across all available exchanges simultaneously. Sweeps are used when urgency is paramount — the trader wants to be filled immediately regardless of exchange. Large sweeps on OTM (out-of-the-money) options are considered among the most bullish or bearish signals in options flow analysis, as they suggest the buyer expects a significant and fast price move.
How does options flow predict stock movements?
Options flow does not predict movements with certainty, but it provides probabilistic evidence of directional conviction from well-capitalized participants. When unusually large call buying occurs — particularly on OTM strikes with near-term expirations — it often (though not always) precedes positive price catalysts. The combination of options flow with news catalysts and dark pool activity provides a stronger signal than any single data type. TradeAI News uses options data as a key scoring layer in the TMS engine, weighted alongside five other scoring dimensions.
What is put/call ratio?
The put/call ratio is the number of put options traded divided by the number of call options traded over a given time period. A ratio above 1.0 means more puts than calls are trading, which is traditionally interpreted as bearish sentiment. A ratio below 0.7 suggests excessive call buying, often interpreted as bullish. Extreme readings in either direction — particularly for a specific stock rather than the broad market — can be contrarian signals. TradeAI News monitors ticker-level put/call ratios as one component of the options flow scoring layer.
What is implied volatility (IV)?
Implied volatility (IV) is the market's forecast of a stock's future price volatility, derived from current options prices. When IV spikes significantly above its historical average for a given stock, it indicates that options buyers are paying a premium for protection or speculation — often ahead of an expected catalyst like earnings, an FDA decision, or an analyst event. IV spikes are a key signal in the TradeAI News options flow scoring layer: an IV spike combined with unusual volume on directional options is a strong composite indicator.
Which plan includes options flow?
Full options flow access — including the Options Flow Scanner dashboard tab and options data in signal alerts — is included in the Pro ($79/month) and Elite ($149/month) plans. Options flow data is factored into TMS scoring for all plans (Basic subscribers see signals that incorporate options data), but the raw options flow feed and scanner interface are Pro/Elite features.
Start tracking smart money today
Options flow included in Pro ($79/mo) and Elite ($149/mo).
Not financial advice. Trading involves risk.