Ticker Options Intelligence

CARS options intelligence

Cars.com Inc options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.

Conviction 47 Market data through 30 Jul 2026 Checked 31 Jul 2026 11:44 · complete available chain

Volatility expansion watch

Volatility pressure

CARS currently carries volatility options pressure with a 47/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 14.4%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.00.

Options Intelligence Opportunities Bullish confirmation Risks Unusual flow Vol expansion Repeated pressure Compare Chart Weekly report
Primary read Volatility

Volatility expansion watch

Expected move 14.4%

Wider near-term move priced

Activity / OI 0.00

Current volume is quieter versus prior open interest

Put-call 1.25

Balanced tape

Trend fit 98

Options agree with trend context

Weekly backdrop +3.4%

RS -2.3

Expected move 14.4%
Put-call volume 1.25
Volume / OI 0.00
Reference IV 0.79
Max pain 10.00
Underlying 11.46
Nearest expiry 21 Aug 2026
Contracts 68

Research Brief

CARS has a volatility chain read with 47/100 evidence alignment.

The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 9.81–13.11; The largest call open-interest concentration is 15.00; the largest put concentration is 10.00. The most active strike by current volume is 2.50.

Priced range9.81–13.11
Call concentration15.00
Put concentration10.00
Max pain reference10.00
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 · through 21 Aug

Options imply 9.81 to 13.11. Max pain at 10.00 sits inside that range, 12.7% below spot.

Spot Max pain
9.8111.46 ± 1.6513.11
Confirmation level

A close beyond 13.11 or below 9.81 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 47/100

Evidence alignment, not probability

Pressure is 23/100 toward puts; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.

Directional pressure23 × 42%
+9.7

How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.

Participation8 × 22%
+1.8

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

Trend agreement98 × 26%
+25.6

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

Volatility95 × 10%
+9.5

The intensity of implied volatility and the priced move.

Reconstructed score46.6Matches stored calculation

Positioning by Strike

Where open interest and current activity concentrate

Full strike map

The largest call open-interest concentration is 15.00; the largest put concentration is 10.00. The most active strike by current volume is 2.50. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.

Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
5
2.50-78.2%
0
0
5.00-56.4%
0
0
7.50-34.6%
0
11
10.00-12.7%
1
1
12.509.1%
47
0
15.0030.9%
72
0
17.5052.7%
0
0
20.0074.5%
0
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry

Volatility Curve

Front-loaded volatility

1.25× front/back

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

0.79 21 Aug 22d
0.67 18 Sep 50d
0.59 18 Dec 141d
0.63 19 Mar 232d

Volatility by Strike

Upside optionality premium

Nearest expiry, within 20% of spot

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

10
13
Put IV Call IV

Historical Replay

How matured reads behaved through expiry

0 directional observations

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

Usable with limits

C69/100
Retained chain100%
Implied volatility100%
Two-sided quotes100%
Open interest100%
Chain status
Complete available chain
Market date
30 Jul 2026
Calculation
v2.0
Contracts
68 / 68
  • 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

87/100
Primary intent Earnings/event positioning

Options activity is concentrated around a live event window, so the cleanest read is event positioning rather than pure direction.

Flow vs price divergence Volatility flow versus price

Options are pricing movement more than direction; compare expected move with the stock's actual weekly change.

Why this matters

Earnings/event positioning matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $1120 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-23
1W price+3.4%
Call premium60%
Put premium40%
Notional split C 60% / P 40% Estimated gross traded notional uses volume × contract multiplier × midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness 0.00 Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit 98/100 Agreement between options pressure and Sharemaestro market context.
Event window 6 Aug Matched earnings event is 4 days away.
Aggregate chain data does not identify trade aggressor or opening versus closing activity; call/put concentration is not proof of market direction.
Conviction clusters Calls · 91+ days · OTM
Calls · 91+ days · OTM calls cluster with 3 contracts traded, $450 estimated gross traded notional, and 40% of visible notional.
$450
Calls · 8-21 days · ITM calls cluster with 1 contracts traded, $225 estimated gross traded notional, and 20% of visible notional.
$225
Puts · 91+ days · ITM puts cluster with 1 contracts traded, $172 estimated gross traded notional, and 15% of visible notional.
$172
Puts · 91+ days · OTM puts cluster with 2 contracts traded, $145 estimated gross traded notional, and 13% of visible notional.
$145
Puts · 8-21 days · ITM puts cluster with 1 contracts traded, $108 estimated gross traded notional, and 10% of visible notional.
$108

Setup Classification

Opportunity and risk frame

Context, not advice
Positive Options-confirmed trend

Positioning agrees with the Sharemaestro trend backdrop.

Warning Volatility expansion

The tape is pricing or displaying unusually elevated activity.

Warning Event-risk setup

Expected move or upcoming earnings makes the setup more event-sensitive.

Activity Anomaly

Warming up

-

2 of 10 completed market sessions are available. More session history is needed before activity can be compared with a reliable normal.

Baseline: 2 completed sessions

Volume rank-
Volume/OI rank-
IV rank-

Market Context

Underlying confirmation

Sharemaestro weekly
Close11.85
1W+3.4%
RS-2.3
Fair value-19.5%
Options pressure-23
Speculation8
Volatility95
Trend fit98

Today Versus Normal

Stored-options context

View history
Expected move 14.4% history building
30d avg - · 2/10 sessions -
90d avg - · 2/30 sessions -
180d avg - · 2/60 sessions -
IV 0.79 history building
30d avg - · 2/10 sessions -
90d avg - · 2/30 sessions -
180d avg - · 2/60 sessions -
Put-call 1.25 history building
30d avg - · 2/10 sessions -
90d avg - · 2/30 sessions -
180d avg - · 2/60 sessions -
Volume/OI 0.00 history building
30d avg - · 2/10 sessions -
90d avg - · 2/30 sessions -
180d avg - · 2/60 sessions -

Pressure Trail

Recent pressure and volatility

Open trail
29 Jul 11:24 Volatility
Pressure 88
Move 14.6%
30 Jul 11:10 Volatility
Pressure 88
Move 20.9%
31 Jul 10:44 Volatility
Pressure -23
Move 14.4%

Strike Map

Where activity is clustering

Full strike map
Strike2.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 1 · OI 5
Strike5.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Strike7.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Strike10.00
Calls · V 1 · OI 1
Puts · V 0 · OI 11
Strike12.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 47
Puts · V 1 · OI 1
Strike15.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 72
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Strike17.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Strike20.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 0

Term Structure

Expiration activity

Volume and IV
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Contracts16
Avg IV0.79
Put-call2.00
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Contracts18
Avg IV0.67
Put-call-
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Contracts16
Avg IV0.59
Put-call0.33
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Contracts18
Avg IV0.63
Put-call-

Skew

Call/put IV balance

OTM demand
21 Aug 2026Call IV premium
Call IV0.70
Put IV0.37
Skew-0.33
18 Sep 2026Put IV premium
Call IV0.48
Put IV0.68
Skew0.20
18 Dec 2026Balanced skew
Call IV0.54
Put IV0.54
Skew-
19 Mar 2027Put IV premium
Call IV0.48
Put IV0.56
Skew0.08

Contract Tape

Most active contracts

Full contract tape
ContractCARS261218C00012500
SideCall
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike12.50
Volume3
OI56
IV0.57
ContractCARS261218P00012500
SidePut
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike12.50
Volume1
OI11
IV0.50
ContractCARS260821P00002500
SidePut
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike2.50
Volume1
OI5
IV2.68
ContractCARS260821C00010000
SideCall
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike10.00
Volume1
OI1
IV0.97
ContractCARS260821P00012500
SidePut
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike12.50
Volume1
OI1
IV0.62
ContractCARS270319P00007500
SidePut
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Strike7.50
Volume1
OI-
IV0.62
ContractCARS270319P00010000
SidePut
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Strike10.00
Volume1
OI-
IV0.56
ContractCARS260918P00007500
SidePut
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike7.50
Volume-
OI2701
IV0.91