Primary read
Volatility
Volatility expansion watch
Ticker Options Intelligence
QGEN options intelligence
Qiagen NV options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.
Conviction
52
Market data through 31 Jul 2026
Checked 2 Aug 2026 06:14 · complete available chain
Volatility expansion watch
Volatility pressure
QGEN currently carries volatility options pressure with a 52/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 14.7%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.01.
Expected move
14.7%
Wider near-term move priced
Activity / OI
0.01
Current volume is quieter versus prior open interest
Put-call
0.10
Call-side skew
Trend fit
0
Options are not fully confirming trend
Weekly backdrop
+0.1%
RS -14.0
Expected move
14.7%
Put-call volume
0.10
Volume / OI
0.01
Reference IV
0.67
Max pain
40.00
Underlying
41.40
Nearest expiry
21 Aug 2026
Contracts
130
Research Brief
QGEN has a volatility chain read with 52/100 evidence alignment.
The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 35.30–47.50; The largest call open-interest concentration is 45.00; the largest put concentration is 30.00. The most active strike by current volume is 45.00.
Priced range35.30–47.50
Call concentration45.00
Put concentration30.00
Max pain reference40.00
- A clear directional pressure reading develops and price begins to agree.
- Volatility falls and the chain remains directionally mixed.
- Options and the weekly trend are not yet giving the same message.
- 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
Options imply 35.30 to 47.50. Max pain at 40.00 sits inside that range, 3.4% below spot.
Spot
Max pain
35.3041.40 ± 6.1047.50
Confirmation level
A close beyond 47.50 or below 35.30 at the 21 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 52/100
Pressure is 92/100 toward calls; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.
Directional pressure92 × 42%
+38.7
How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.
Participation20 × 22%
+4.4
Volume relative to existing open interest and contract-level activity.
Trend agreement0 × 26%
+0.0
How closely the chain read agrees with the underlying trend backdrop.
Volatility87 × 10%
+8.7
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 45.00; the largest put concentration is 30.00. The most active strike by current volume is 45.00. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.
Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
3
20.00-51.7%
1
9
22.50-45.7%
0
10
25.00-39.6%
0
5031
30.00-27.5%
12
245
35.00-15.5%
70
332
40.00-3.4%
22717
97
45.008.7%
47266
46
50.0020.8%
1744
0
55.0032.9%
3318
0
60.0044.9%
105
0
65.0057.0%
0
0
70.0069.1%
0
0
75.0081.2%
0
0
80.0093.2%
0
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry
Volatility Curve
Front-loaded volatility
Near-term options are materially richer than later expirations, consistent with concentrated event or immediate-risk pricing.
0.67
21 Aug
21d
0.50
18 Sep
49d
0.35
20 Nov
112d
0.40
18 Dec
140d
0.27
19 Feb
203d
0.26
17 Dec
504d
Volatility by Strike
Upside optionality premium
Out-of-the-money calls carry higher implied volatility than comparable puts, indicating richer upside optionality.
35
40
45
Put IV Call IV
Historical Replay
How matured reads behaved through expiry
Forward validation is building. The earliest eligible stored read expires 21 Aug 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
- 130 / 130
- 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
Earnings/event positioning
Options activity is concentrated around a live event window, so the cleanest read is event positioning rather than pure direction.
Options are pricing movement more than direction; compare expected move with the stock's actual weekly change.
Earnings/event positioning matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $226848 of estimated gross traded notional, calls · 91+ days · otm, and a volatility flow versus price backdrop. Use it as a research priority signal, then validate the chart, liquidity, event calendar, and risk before acting.
Options pressure+92
1W price+0.1%
Call premium93%
Put premium7%
Notional split
C 93% / P 7%
Estimated gross traded notional uses volume × contract multiplier × midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness
0.01
Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit
0/100
Agreement between options pressure and Sharemaestro market context.
Event window
4 Aug
Matched earnings event is 2 days away.
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 388 contracts traded, $105982 estimated gross traded notional, and 47% of visible notional.
$105982
Calls · 8-21 days · OTM
calls cluster with 324 contracts traded, $56700 estimated gross traded notional, and 25% of visible notional.
$56700
Calls · 46-90 days · OTM
calls cluster with 130 contracts traded, $24085 estimated gross traded notional, and 11% of visible notional.
$24085
Calls · 8-21 days · ITM
calls cluster with 57 contracts traded, $22515 estimated gross traded notional, and 10% of visible notional.
$22515
Puts · 91+ days · OTM
puts cluster with 90 contracts traded, $16200 estimated gross traded notional, and 7% of visible notional.
$16200
Setup Classification
Opportunity and risk frame
The tape is pricing or displaying unusually elevated activity.
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
Close41.40
1W+0.1%
RS-14.0
Fair value-4.7%
Options pressure92
Speculation20
Volatility87
Trend fit0
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 10:32
Volatility
Pressure 100
Move 12.4%
30 Jul 10:30
Volatility
Pressure 100
Move 11.4%
30 Jul 22:03
Bullish
Pressure 29
Move 9.9%
31 Jul 11:38
Volatility
Pressure 95
Move 9.9%
1 Aug 11:49
Volatility
Pressure 92
Move 14.7%
2 Aug 05:14
Volatility
Pressure 92
Move 14.7%
Strike Map
Where activity is clustering
Strike20.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 1
Puts · V 0 · OI 3
Strike22.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 9
Strike25.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 10
Strike30.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 12
Puts · V 3 · OI 5031
Strike35.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 70
Puts · V 0 · OI 245
Strike40.00
Calls · V 57 · OI 22717
Puts · V 0 · OI 332
Strike45.00
Calls · V 324 · OI 47266
Puts · V 0 · OI 97
Strike50.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 1744
Puts · V 0 · OI 46
Term Structure
Expiration activity
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Contracts28
Avg IV0.67
Put-call0.01
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Contracts18
Avg IV0.50
Put-call-
Expiry20 Nov 2026
Contracts20
Avg IV0.35
Put-call-
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Contracts30
Avg IV0.40
Put-call0.28
Expiry19 Feb 2027
Contracts18
Avg IV0.27
Put-call-
Skew
Call/put IV balance
21 Aug 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.78
Put IV0.73
Skew-0.05
18 Sep 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.61
Put IV0.57
Skew-0.04
20 Nov 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.41
Put IV0.41
Skew-
18 Dec 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.40
Put IV0.38
Skew-0.02
19 Feb 2027Balanced skew
Call IV0.30
Put IV0.34
Skew0.04
Contract Tape
Most active contracts
ContractQGEN260821C00045000
SideCall
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike45.00
Volume324
OI47266
IV0.78
ContractQGEN261218C00045000
SideCall
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike45.00
Volume171
OI69
IV0.42
ContractQGEN261218C00050000
SideCall
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike50.00
Volume155
OI969
IV0.40
ContractQGEN260918C00045000
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike45.00
Volume126
OI1324
IV0.52
ContractQGEN260821C00040000
SideCall
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike40.00
Volume57
OI22717
IV0.81
ContractQGEN261218P00040000
SidePut
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike40.00
Volume54
OI88
IV0.37
ContractQGEN261218P00030000
SidePut
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike30.00
Volume36
OI791
IV0.39
ContractQGEN271217C00050000
SideCall
Expiry17 Dec 2027
Strike50.00
Volume32
OI65
IV0.30
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.