Ticker Options Intelligence

MFC options intelligence

Manulife Financial Corp options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.

Conviction 32 Market data through 17 Sep 2026 Checked 18 Sep 2026 13:26 ยท complete available chain

Options-market disagreement

Mixed pressure

MFC currently carries mixed options pressure with a 32/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 1.6%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.01.

Primary read Mixed

Options-market disagreement

Expected move 1.6%

Near-term move context

Activity / OI 0.01

Current volume is quieter versus prior open interest

Put-call 0.76

Balanced tape

Trend fit 77

Options agree with trend context

Weekly backdrop -1.9%

RS 8.2

Expected move 1.6%
Put-call volume 0.76
Volume / OI 0.01
Reference IV 0.31
Max pain 41.00
Underlying 43.49
Nearest expiry 18 Sep 2026
Contracts 244

Research Brief

MFC has a mixed chain read with 32/100 evidence alignment.

The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 42.78โ€“44.20; The largest call open-interest concentration is 40.00; the largest put concentration is 38.00. The most active strike by current volume is 44.00.

Priced range42.78โ€“44.20
Call concentration40.00
Put concentration38.00
Max pain reference41.00
What would confirm it
  • A clear directional pressure reading develops and price begins to agree.
  • The current chain read already agrees with the stored weekly trend context.
What would weaken it
  • Volatility falls and the chain remains directionally mixed.
  • Front-expiry volatility is rich, so the signal may be event-driven and vulnerable to volatility compression.

Priced Move

Where the chain says movement becomes exceptional

Size, not direction ยท through 18 Sep

Options imply 42.78 to 44.20. Max pain at 41.00 lies outside the priced range, so it is a weak near-term anchor.

Spot Max pain
42.7843.49 ยฑ 0.7144.20
Confirmation level

A close beyond 44.20 or below 42.78 at the 18 Sep 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 32/100

Evidence alignment, not probability

Pressure is 18/100 toward calls; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.

Directional pressure18 ร— 42%
+7.4

How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.

Participation8 ร— 22%
+1.8

Volume relative to existing open interest and contract-level activity.

Trend agreement77 ร— 26%
+19.9

How closely the chain read agrees with the underlying trend backdrop.

Volatility28 ร— 10%
+2.8

The intensity of implied volatility and the priced move.

Reconstructed score31.9Matches stored calculation

Positioning by Strike

Where open interest and current activity concentrate

Full strike map

The largest call open-interest concentration is 40.00; the largest put concentration is 38.00. The most active strike by current volume is 44.00. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.

Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
12
29.00-33.3%
7
53
30.00-31.0%
0
25
32.00-26.4%
0
20
35.00-19.5%
0
133
37.00-14.9%
0
439
38.00-12.6%
0
384
39.00-10.3%
20
34
40.00-8.0%
602
324
41.00-5.7%
30
45
42.00-3.4%
541
184
43.00-1.1%
207
103
44.001.2%
224
18
45.003.5%
154
0
46.005.8%
84
0
47.008.1%
36
0
48.0010.4%
34
0
49.0012.7%
180
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry

Gamma Profile by Strike

Balanced gamma proxy

Reported + model-estimated Greeks ยท 99% coverage

Call- and put-side gamma sensitivity is broadly balanced across the retained chain. Individual strike concentrations may still matter more than the chain-wide net.

Net profile-$49,896Delta change / 1% move
Positive peak40.00+$138,294
Negative peak44.00-$459,738
Nearest balance43.07Interpolated sign change
StrikeNegativePositiveNet / 1% move
31.00-28.7%
+$95
32.00-26.4%
-$142
33.00-24.1%
+$424
34.00-21.8%
-$146
35.00-19.5%
+$4,594
36.00-17.2%
-$245
37.00-14.9%
+$1,085
38.00-12.6%
-$7,348
39.00-10.3%
-$8,240
40.00-8.0%
+$138,294
41.00-5.7%
-$1,132
42.00-3.4%
+$50,398
43.00-1.1%
+$32,070
44.001.2%
-$459,738
45.003.5%
+$109,937
46.005.8%
+$28,315
47.008.1%
+$34,760
48.0010.4%
+$10,025
49.0012.7%
+$6,552
50.0015.0%
+$10,603
55.0026.5%
+$113
Positive call-side proxy Negative put-side proxyHighlighted row is nearest spot strike

Scenario proxy = gamma ร— open interest ร— 100 shares ร— spotยฒ ร— 1%. Calls are positive and puts negative by convention. Missing Greeks use a Black-Scholes estimate from stored IV with zero rate and dividend assumptions. Open interest does not reveal who is long or short, so this is not observed dealer positioning or a forecast.

Volatility Curve

Front-loaded volatility

1.43ร— front/back

Near-term options are materially richer than later expirations, consistent with concentrated event or immediate-risk pricing.

0.31 18 Sep 1d
0.20 16 Oct 29d
0.24 20 Nov 64d
0.22 18 Dec 92d
0.22 19 Mar 183d

Volatility by Strike

Downside protection premium

Nearest expiry, within 20% of spot

Out-of-the-money puts carry higher implied volatility than comparable calls, indicating richer downside protection.

35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
Put IV Call IV

Historical Replay

How matured reads behaved through expiry

16 matured ยท 14 directional

Across 14 stored directional transitions, the next stored price moved in the labelled direction 0% of the time.

Directional follow-through0%
Moves contained by pricing38%
Average expiry move4.2%
20 Aug Bullish ยท 57 -4.4% through expiry 4.5% priced ยท v2.0
19 Aug Mixed ยท 42 -4.4% through expiry 2.4% priced ยท v2.0
18 Aug Bullish ยท 38 -4.4% through expiry 1.9% priced ยท v2.0
17 Aug Bullish ยท 39 -4.4% through expiry 1.7% priced ยท v2.0
14 Aug Bullish ยท 54 -4.4% through expiry 2.8% priced ยท v2.0
13 Aug Bullish ยท 51 -4.1% through expiry 2.1% priced ยท v2.0
12 Aug Bullish ยท 37 -4.1% through expiry 3.0% priced ยท v2.0
11 Aug Bullish ยท 52 -4.1% through expiry 2.9% priced ยท v2.0
10 Aug Bullish ยท 42 -4.1% through expiry 3.4% priced ยท v2.0
7 Aug Bullish ยท 38 -4.1% through expiry 3.6% priced ยท v2.0
6 Aug Bullish ยท 40 -4.3% through expiry 3.9% priced ยท v2.0
5 Aug Mixed ยท 42 -4.3% through expiry 5.3% priced ยท v2.0

Eligible snapshots must have a dated market session, stored signal, and point-in-time market reference. Each observation uses one read per market session and the first stored weekly close on or immediately after expiry; its original calculation version is retained. It is an evidence audit, not an executable strategy or evidence of future performance.

Evidence Quality

Usable with limits

C69/100
Retained chain100%
Implied volatility100%
Two-sided quotes100%
Open interest100%
Chain status
Complete available chain
Market date
17 Sep 2026
Calculation
v2.0
Contracts
244 / 244
  • 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

Multi-expiry position-maintenance candidate

64/100
Primary intent Multi-expiry position-maintenance candidate

Activity is spread across expirations with heavier open interest than current volume, which can be consistent with position maintenance.

Flow vs price divergence No clean flow/price divergence

The options read is mixed, so divergence is not strong enough to classify.

Why this matters

Multi-expiry position-maintenance candidate matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $19,746 of estimated gross traded notional, calls ยท 0-7 days ยท itm, and a no clean flow/price divergence backdrop. Use it as a research priority signal, then validate the chart, liquidity, event calendar, and risk before acting.

Options pressure+18
1W price-1.9%
Call premium78%
Put premium22%
Notional split C 78% / P 22% Estimated gross traded notional uses volume ร— contract multiplier ร— midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness 0.01 Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit 77/100 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. Roll detection is conservative because opening and closing legs are not directly observable in this snapshot.
Conviction clusters Calls ยท 0-7 days ยท ITM
Calls ยท 0-7 days ยท ITM calls cluster with 7 contracts traded, $10,780 estimated gross traded notional, and 55% of visible notional.
$10,780
Puts ยท 91+ days ยท ATM puts cluster with 10 contracts traded, $2,400 estimated gross traded notional, and 12% of visible notional.
$2,400
Calls ยท 91+ days ยท OTM calls cluster with 25 contracts traded, $2,000 estimated gross traded notional, and 10% of visible notional.
$2,000
Calls ยท 91+ days ยท ITM calls cluster with 2 contracts traded, $1,010 estimated gross traded notional, and 5% of visible notional.
$1,010
Calls ยท 46-90 days ยท ATM calls cluster with 4 contracts traded, $908 estimated gross traded notional, and 5% of visible notional.
$908

Setup Classification

Opportunity and risk frame

Context, not advice
Positive Options-confirmed trend

Positioning agrees with the Sharemaestro trend backdrop.

Activity Anomaly

Normal range

48

Activity is broadly in line with recent stored snapshots.

Baseline: 29 completed sessions

Volume rank28th
Volume/OI rank28th
IV rank90th

Market Context

Underlying confirmation

Sharemaestro weekly
Close43.49
1W-1.9%
RS8.2
Fair value+49.5%
Options pressure18
Speculation8
Volatility28
Trend fit77

Today Versus Normal

Stored-options context

View history
Expected move 1.6% muted
30d avg 3.3% ยท 14 sessions 0th
90d avg - ยท 29/30 sessions -
180d avg - ยท 29/60 sessions -
IV 0.31 elevated
30d avg 0.25 ยท 14 sessions 86th
90d avg - ยท 29/30 sessions -
180d avg - ยท 29/60 sessions -
Put-call 0.76 near normal
30d avg 1.26 ยท 14 sessions 57th
90d avg - ยท 29/30 sessions -
180d avg - ยท 29/60 sessions -
Volume/OI 0.01 near normal
30d avg 0.05 ยท 14 sessions 36th
90d avg - ยท 29/30 sessions -
180d avg - ยท 29/60 sessions -

Pressure Trail

Recent pressure and volatility

Open trail
31 Jul 23:47 Bullish
Pressure 64
Move 5.4%
1 Aug 00:29 Bullish
Pressure 82
Move 5.4%
3 Aug 09:16 Bullish
Pressure 82
Move 5.3%
4 Aug 12:10 Bullish
Pressure 65
Move 5.7%
5 Aug 10:06 Bullish
Pressure 67
Move 5.0%
5 Aug 16:19 Mixed
Pressure 17
Move 5.3%
7 Aug 10:25 Bullish
Pressure 54
Move 3.9%
10 Aug 10:23 Bullish
Pressure 60
Move 3.6%

Strike Map

Where activity is clustering

Full strike map
Strike20.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Strike25.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Strike26.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Strike27.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 13
Strike28.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 1
Strike29.00
Calls ยท V 7 ยท OI 7
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 12
Strike30.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 53
Strike31.00
Calls ยท V 0 ยท OI 0
Puts ยท V 0 ยท OI 5

Term Structure

Expiration activity

Volume and IV
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Contracts56
Avg IV0.31
Put-call0.79
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Contracts56
Avg IV0.20
Put-call1.50
Expiry20 Nov 2026
Contracts48
Avg IV0.24
Put-call1.00
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Contracts46
Avg IV0.22
Put-call-
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Contracts38
Avg IV0.22
Put-call-

Skew

Call/put IV balance

OTM demand
18 Sep 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.24
Put IV0.27
Skew0.03
16 Oct 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.19
Put IV0.23
Skew0.04
20 Nov 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.22
Put IV0.26
Skew0.04
18 Dec 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.20
Put IV0.25
Skew0.05
19 Mar 2027Balanced skew
Call IV0.20
Put IV0.24
Skew0.04

Contract Tape

Most active contracts

Full contract tape
ContractMFC261218C00047000
SideCall
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike47.00
Volume25
OI31
IV0.20
ContractMFC260918P00044000
SidePut
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike44.00
Volume11
OI103
IV0.03
ContractMFC261016C00046000
SideCall
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike46.00
Volume11
OI57
IV0.19
ContractMFC261016P00043000
SidePut
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike43.00
Volume11
OI28
IV0.20
ContractMFC270319P00044000
SidePut
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Strike44.00
Volume10
OI20
IV0.23
ContractMFC260918C00029000
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike29.00
Volume7
OI7
IV5.56
ContractMFC260918C00045000
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike45.00
Volume6
OI154
IV0.24
ContractMFC261016P00042000
SidePut
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike42.00
Volume6
OI46
IV0.23

Evidence context