Primary read
Bullish
Call-side pressure
Ticker Options Intelligence
ACI options intelligence
Albertsons Companies options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.
Conviction
38
Market data through 31 Jul 2026
Checked 1 Aug 2026 07:07 · complete available chain
Call-side pressure
Bullish pressure
ACI currently carries bullish options pressure with a 38/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 6.1%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.02.
Expected move
6.1%
Wider near-term move priced
Activity / OI
0.02
Current volume is quieter versus prior open interest
Put-call
0.35
Call-side skew
Trend fit
3
Options are not fully confirming trend
Weekly backdrop
+5.0%
RS -36.8
Expected move
6.1%
Put-call volume
0.35
Volume / OI
0.02
Reference IV
0.24
Max pain
11.50
Underlying
11.03
Nearest expiry
7 Aug 2026
Contracts
532
Research Brief
ACI has a bullish chain read with 38/100 evidence alignment.
The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 10.35–11.71; The largest call open-interest concentration is 12.50; the largest put concentration is 11.00. The most active strike by current volume is 11.50.
Priced range10.35–11.71
Call concentration12.50
Put concentration11.00
Max pain reference11.50
- Price holds or improves while call-side concentration remains elevated.
- Price weakens while call pressure fades or reverses toward puts.
- Options and the weekly trend are not yet giving the same message.
Priced Move
Where the chain says movement becomes exceptional
Options imply 10.35 to 11.71. Max pain at 11.50 sits inside that range, 4.3% above spot.
Spot
Max pain
10.3511.03 ± 0.6811.71
Confirmation level
A close beyond 11.71 or below 10.35 at the 7 Aug expiry would exceed the move currently priced by this chain.
Important limitation
The range is a pricing reference, not a forecast; volatility can reprice sharply after news or as expiry approaches.
Score Construction
Why conviction is 38/100
Pressure is 56/100 toward calls; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.
Directional pressure56 × 42%
+23.6
How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.
Participation40 × 22%
+8.9
Volume relative to existing open interest and contract-level activity.
Trend agreement3 × 26%
+0.8
How closely the chain read agrees with the underlying trend backdrop.
Volatility41 × 10%
+4.1
The intensity of implied volatility and the priced move.
Positioning by Strike
Where open interest and current activity concentrate
The largest call open-interest concentration is 12.50; the largest put concentration is 11.00. The most active strike by current volume is 11.50. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.
Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
4
7.00-36.5%
0
6
8.00-27.5%
0
54
9.00-18.4%
0
7
9.50-13.9%
10
30
10.00-9.3%
33
10
10.50-4.8%
3
814
11.00-0.3%
45
24
11.504.3%
519
27
12.008.8%
1164
0
12.5013.3%
1372
13
13.0017.9%
262
96
14.0026.9%
0
0
16.0045.1%
54
8
16.5049.6%
0
0
21.0090.4%
10
0
22.0099.5%
9
1
23.00108.5%
47
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry
Volatility Curve
Back-loaded volatility
Longer-dated options carry more implied volatility than the front expiry, so risk is priced farther out.
0.24
7 Aug
7d
0.34
14 Aug
14d
0.44
21 Aug
21d
0.31
28 Aug
28d
0.32
4 Sep
35d
0.38
11 Sep
42d
0.36
18 Sep
49d
0.40
16 Oct
77d
Volatility by Strike
Downside protection premium
Out-of-the-money puts carry higher implied volatility than comparable calls, indicating richer downside protection.
9
10
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
Put IV Call IV
Historical Replay
How matured reads behaved through expiry
Forward validation is building. The earliest eligible stored read expires 31 Jul 2026; its result will appear after the matched closing reference is stored.
Directional follow-through-
Moves contained by pricing-
Average expiry move-
Validation readiness
- Versioned calculationv2 observations only
- Independent entryone read per market session
- Point-in-time referencerequired at entry
- Matched expiry closereported only after maturity
Only v2 snapshots with a point-in-time market reference are eligible. Each observation uses one read per market session and the first weekly close on or immediately after expiry. It is an evidence audit, not an executable strategy or evidence of future performance.
Evidence Quality
High
Retained chain100%
Implied volatility100%
Two-sided quotes100%
Open interest100%
- Chain status
- Complete available chain
- Market date
- 31 Jul 2026
- Calculation
- v2.0
- Contracts
- 532 / 532
- No material coverage gap was detected in the retained chain.
Aggregate chain data supports concentration, participation and pricing analysis. It does not identify trade aggressor, opening versus closing activity, multi-leg intent or dealer inventory.
Options Intent Radar
Short-dated OTM call concentration
Call activity is concentrated in upside and shorter-dated contracts; trade direction remains unconfirmed without aggressor data.
Options pressure and weekly price action are pointing in the same constructive direction.
Short-dated OTM call concentration matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $121650 of estimated gross traded notional, calls · 91+ days · otm, and a bullish flow confirms price backdrop. Use it as a research priority signal, then validate the chart, liquidity, event calendar, and risk before acting.
Options pressure+56
1W price+5.0%
Call premium83%
Put premium17%
Notional split
C 83% / P 17%
Estimated gross traded notional uses volume × contract multiplier × midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness
0.02
Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit
3/100
Agreement between options pressure and Sharemaestro market context.
Aggregate chain data does not identify trade aggressor or opening versus closing activity; call/put concentration is not proof of market direction.
Calls · 91+ days · OTM
calls cluster with 596 contracts traded, $50525 estimated gross traded notional, and 42% of visible notional.
$50525
Calls · 46-90 days · ITM
calls cluster with 88 contracts traded, $16480 estimated gross traded notional, and 14% of visible notional.
$16480
Calls · 91+ days · ATM
calls cluster with 80 contracts traded, $12200 estimated gross traded notional, and 10% of visible notional.
$12200
Calls · 46-90 days · OTM
calls cluster with 224 contracts traded, $9998 estimated gross traded notional, and 8% of visible notional.
$9998
Puts · 8-21 days · ITM
puts cluster with 128 contracts traded, $6250 estimated gross traded notional, and 5% of visible notional.
$6250
Setup Classification
Opportunity and risk frame
Expected move or upcoming earnings makes the setup more event-sensitive.
Options positioning is not confirming the underlying trend context.
Activity Anomaly
Warming up
3 of 10 completed market sessions are available. More session history is needed before activity can be compared with a reliable normal.
Baseline: 3 completed sessions
Volume rank-
Volume/OI rank-
IV rank-
Market Context
Underlying confirmation
Close11.58
1W+5.0%
RS-36.8
Fair value-38.2%
Options pressure56
Speculation40
Volatility41
Trend fit3
Today Versus Normal
Stored-options context
30d avg - · 3/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 3/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 3/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 3/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 3/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 3/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 3/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 3/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 3/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 3/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 3/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 3/60 sessions
-
Pressure Trail
Recent pressure and volatility
29 Jul 10:31
Bullish
Pressure 73
Move 6.0%
30 Jul 10:30
Volatility
Pressure 76
Move 9.7%
30 Jul 21:38
Bullish
Pressure 73
Move 5.9%
31 Jul 13:05
Bullish
Pressure 82
Move 5.9%
31 Jul 14:24
Bullish
Pressure 73
Move 3.7%
31 Jul 15:37
Bullish
Pressure 57
Move 5.9%
31 Jul 16:41
Bullish
Pressure 59
Move 5.9%
31 Jul 16:58
Bullish
Pressure 59
Move 5.5%
Strike Map
Where activity is clustering
Strike3.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 2
Strike4.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 1
Puts · V 0 · OI 2
Strike5.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 2
Strike6.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 6
Strike7.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 22 · OI 4
Strike8.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 2 · OI 6
Strike9.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 54
Strike9.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 10
Puts · V 0 · OI 7
Term Structure
Expiration activity
Expiry7 Aug 2026
Contracts76
Avg IV0.24
Put-call0.25
Expiry14 Aug 2026
Contracts62
Avg IV0.34
Put-call3.06
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Contracts74
Avg IV0.44
Put-call3.58
Expiry28 Aug 2026
Contracts50
Avg IV0.31
Put-call-
Expiry4 Sep 2026
Contracts50
Avg IV0.32
Put-call0.61
Skew
Call/put IV balance
7 Aug 2026Call IV premium
Call IV0.36
Put IV0.24
Skew-0.12
14 Aug 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.37
Put IV0.32
Skew-0.05
21 Aug 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.35
Put IV0.32
Skew-0.03
28 Aug 2026Call IV premium
Call IV0.47
Put IV0.31
Skew-0.17
4 Sep 2026Call IV premium
Call IV0.40
Put IV0.11
Skew-0.28
Contract Tape
Most active contracts
ContractACI270115C00012000
SideCall
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike12.00
Volume338
OI1756
IV0.38
ContractACI260807C00011500
SideCall
Expiry7 Aug 2026
Strike11.50
Volume232
OI519
IV0.24
ContractACI260807C00012000
SideCall
Expiry7 Aug 2026
Strike12.00
Volume172
OI1164
IV0.36
ContractACI260814P00011500
SidePut
Expiry14 Aug 2026
Strike11.50
Volume91
OI360
IV0.33
ContractACI261016C00012000
SideCall
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike12.00
Volume82
OI3577
IV0.40
ContractACI270115C00011000
SideCall
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike11.00
Volume80
OI388
IV0.37
ContractACI260807P00011500
SidePut
Expiry7 Aug 2026
Strike11.50
Volume67
OI24
IV0.30
ContractACI260828P00011000
SidePut
Expiry28 Aug 2026
Strike11.00
Volume63
OI11
IV0.31
Research Graph
Related research and context
Sharemaestro research
Related News
No recent ticker-specific news yet.
Market Watch
No recent market-watch posts yet.
Earnings
Plain English Guide
Options context
What usually looks constructive
What usually looks cautious
Options can move quickly and can lose value fast. Treat this as research context, not a buy or sell instruction.