Primary read
Volatility
Volatility expansion watch
Ticker Options Intelligence
KWR options intelligence
Quaker Chemical Corporation options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.
Conviction
65
Market data through 4 Aug 2026
Checked 4 Aug 2026 16:02 · complete available chain
Volatility expansion watch
Volatility pressure
KWR currently carries volatility options pressure with a 65/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 10.7%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.85.
Expected move
10.7%
Wider near-term move priced
Activity / OI
0.85
Current volume is elevated versus prior open interest
Put-call
7.00
Put-side skew
Trend fit
43
Options are not fully confirming trend
Weekly backdrop
+6.0%
RS 4.2
Expected move
10.7%
Put-call volume
7.00
Volume / OI
0.85
Reference IV
0.49
Max pain
150.00
Underlying
160.52
Nearest expiry
21 Aug 2026
Contracts
32
Research Brief
KWR has a volatility chain read with 65/100 evidence alignment.
The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 143.42–177.62; The largest call open-interest concentration is 160.00; the largest put concentration is 150.00. The most active strike by current volume is 150.00.
Priced range143.42–177.62
Call concentration160.00
Put concentration150.00
Max pain reference150.00
- 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.
Priced Move
Where the chain says movement becomes exceptional
Options imply 143.42 to 177.62. Max pain at 150.00 sits inside that range, 6.6% below spot.
Spot
Max pain
143.42160.52 ± 17.10177.62
Confirmation level
A close beyond 177.62 or below 143.42 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 65/100
Pressure is 87/100 toward puts; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.
Directional pressure87 × 42%
+36.5
How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.
Participation46 × 22%
+10.2
Volume relative to existing open interest and contract-level activity.
Trend agreement43 × 26%
+11.2
How closely the chain read agrees with the underlying trend backdrop.
Volatility75 × 10%
+7.5
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 160.00; the largest put concentration is 150.00. The most active strike by current volume is 150.00. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.
Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
3
150.00-6.6%
0
0
160.00-0.3%
1
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry
Gamma Profile by Strike
Negative gamma proxy
Put-side gamma sensitivity outweighs the call-side proxy across the retained chain. The largest bars mark levels where delta-hedging sensitivity may be most concentrated.
Net profile-$6,626Delta change / 1% move
Positive peak165.00+$1,113
Negative peak160.00-$5,138
Nearest balance164.11Interpolated sign change
StrikeNegativePositiveNet / 1% move
80.00-50.2%
-$35
85.00-47.0%
-$81
90.00-43.9%
-$93
100.00-37.7%
-$373
105.00-34.6%
-$143
110.00-31.5%
-$167
115.00-28.4%
-$191
130.00-19.0%
-$162
150.00-6.6%
-$3,106
155.00-3.4%
-$313
160.00-0.3%
-$5,138
165.002.8%
+$1,113
170.005.9%
+$239
180.0012.1%
+$955
185.0015.3%
+$293
195.0021.5%
+$219
200.0024.6%
+$195
210.0030.8%
+$162
Positive call-side proxy Negative put-side proxyHighlighted row is nearest spot strike
Scenario proxy = gamma × open interest × 100 shares × spot² × 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
Balanced volatility curve
Near- and longer-dated implied volatility are broadly aligned; no exceptional front-expiry premium is visible.
0.49
21 Aug
17d
0.56
18 Sep
45d
0.18
16 Oct
73d
0.46
20 Nov
108d
0.53
15 Jan
164d
Volatility by Strike
Smile incomplete
There is not enough comparable OTM call and put volatility to classify the smile.
150
160
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
- Auditable calculationoriginal version retained
- Independent entryone read per market session
- Point-in-time referencerequired at entry
- Matched expiry closereported only after maturity
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
High
Retained chain100%
Implied volatility100%
Two-sided quotes100%
Open interest100%
- Chain status
- Complete available chain
- Market date
- 4 Aug 2026
- Calculation
- v2.0
- Contracts
- 32 / 32
- 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
Volatility expansion bet
The strongest message is movement risk: expected move and implied volatility are carrying more signal than direction.
Options are pricing movement more than direction; compare expected move with the stock's actual weekly change.
Volatility expansion bet matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $38,885 of estimated gross traded notional, puts · 91+ days · atm, 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-87
1W price+6.0%
Call premium15%
Put premium85%
Notional split
C 15% / P 85%
Estimated gross traded notional uses volume × contract multiplier × midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness
0.85
Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit
43/100
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.
Puts · 91+ days · ATM
puts cluster with 25 contracts traded, $26,000 estimated gross traded notional, and 67% of visible notional.
$26,000
Puts · 46-90 days · ITM
puts cluster with 1 contracts traded, $3,730 estimated gross traded notional, and 10% of visible notional.
$3,730
Calls · 91+ days · ATM
calls cluster with 1 contracts traded, $2,180 estimated gross traded notional, and 6% of visible notional.
$2,180
Calls · 46-90 days · OTM
calls cluster with 3 contracts traded, $1,695 estimated gross traded notional, and 4% of visible notional.
$1,695
Calls · 46-90 days · ITM
calls cluster with 1 contracts traded, $1,465 estimated gross traded notional, and 4% of visible notional.
$1,465
Setup Classification
Opportunity and risk frame
Participation is active enough to treat follow-through risk carefully.
The tape is pricing or displaying unusually elevated activity.
Expected move or upcoming earnings makes the setup more event-sensitive.
Activity Anomaly
Warming up
5 of 10 completed market sessions are available. More session history is needed before activity can be compared with a reliable normal.
Baseline: 5 completed sessions
Volume rank-
Volume/OI rank-
IV rank-
Market Context
Underlying confirmation
Close160.52
1W+6.0%
RS4.2
Fair value+6.5%
Options pressure-87
Speculation46
Volatility75
Trend fit43
Today Versus Normal
Stored-options context
30d avg - · 5/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 5/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 5/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 5/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 5/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 5/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 2/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 2/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 2/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 5/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 5/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 5/60 sessions
-
Pressure Trail
Recent pressure and volatility
29 Jul 10:57
Mixed
Pressure -12
Move 8.9%
30 Jul 10:47
Bearish
Pressure -100
Move 8.3%
30 Jul 15:30
Volatility
Pressure -50
Move 15.0%
30 Jul 15:47
Volatility
Pressure -50
Move 14.8%
31 Jul 12:13
Bullish
Pressure 88
Move 8.7%
31 Jul 13:36
Volatility
Pressure -50
Move 21.2%
1 Aug 00:27
Bearish
Pressure -99
Move 7.0%
3 Aug 13:26
Bearish
Pressure -99
Move 6.6%
Strike Map
Where activity is clustering
Strike150.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 10 · OI 3
Strike160.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 1
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Term Structure
Expiration activity
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Contracts2
Avg IV0.49
Put-call-
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Contracts1
Avg IV0.56
Put-call-
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Contracts14
Avg IV0.18
Put-call1.00
Expiry20 Nov 2026
Contracts5
Avg IV0.46
Put-call1.00
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Contracts10
Avg IV0.53
Put-call28.00
Skew
Call/put IV balance
21 Aug 2026Incomplete skew
Call IV-
Put IV0.54
Skew-
18 Sep 2026Incomplete skew
Call IV-
Put IV0.56
Skew-
16 Oct 2026Put IV premium
Call IV0.11
Put IV0.47
Skew0.35
20 Nov 2026Put IV premium
Call IV0.38
Put IV0.59
Skew0.21
15 Jan 2027Balanced skew
Call IV0.40
Put IV0.39
Skew-0.01
Contract Tape
Most active contracts
ContractKWR270115P00090000
SidePut
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike90.00
Volume-
OI2
IV0.71
ContractKWR260821C00160000
SideCall
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike160.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.45
ContractKWR270115P00115000
SidePut
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike115.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.60
ContractKWR270115P00110000
SidePut
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike110.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.52
ContractKWR261016C00150000
SideCall
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike150.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.00
ContractKWR261016C00165000
SideCall
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike165.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.11
ContractKWR261016P00155000
SidePut
Expiry16 Oct 2026
Strike155.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.44
ContractKWR270115P00080000
SidePut
Expiry15 Jan 2027
Strike80.00
Volume-
OI1
IV0.82
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
No upcoming matched earnings event.
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.