Alphabet Class A · stock

GOOGL options: expected move, IV and max pain

Alphabet Class A (GOOGL) traded near $281.48 at the last snapshot. Option prices for the 20 Nov monthly expiry, which is 21 days away, imply a move of about $17.53 either way (6.23%), a range of $263.96 to $299.01.

Last price
$281.48
Expected move
±$17.53
6.23% · to 20 Nov
ATM IV
37.5%
20 Nov expiry
Data as of

Source: ThetaData

What stands out in the GOOGL data

  • 30-day IV is 29.6%, the 21st percentile of the last 252 sessions, with an IV rank of 22.
  • The 20 Nov chain lists 123 strikes and 602,405 contracts of open interest, the most of any listed expiry.

Expected move by expiry

What the options market is pricing for GOOGL at each of the expiries below.

GOOGL expected move, ATM implied volatility and price range by expiry
2 Nov 2026NearestTime left3 daysATM IV31.4%Expected move±$6.08 (2.16%)Price range$275.41 to $287.56
6 Nov 2026WeeklyTime left7 daysATM IV38.7%Expected move±$10.85 (3.85%)Price range$270.63 to $292.33
20 Nov 2026MonthlyTime left21 daysATM IV37.5%Expected move±$17.53 (6.23%)Price range$263.96 to $299.01
4 Dec 2026Closest to 30 daysTime left35 daysATM IV32.1%Expected move±$21.50 (7.64%)Price range$259.98 to $302.98
18 Dec 2026Next monthlyClosest to 60 daysTime left49 daysATM IVNot availableExpected move±$25.78 (9.16%)Price range$255.71 to $307.26

Expected move is the price of the at-the-money straddle for the expiry, using midpoint prices (the average of bid and ask, or the last trade when a side has no quote). It is the same figure the Options Matrix shows. The range is the last price plus and minus that move.

The market prices 2.16% for the 2 Nov expiry and 9.16% for the 18 Dec expiry.

Implied volatility and term structure

How much volatility option prices carry, and how it changes from one expiry to the next.

Monthly ATM IV

37.5%

20 Nov 2026, 21 days

Nearest ATM IV

31.4%

2 Nov 2026, 3 days

Longest ATM IV

32.1%

4 Dec 2026, 35 days

30-day IV

29.6%

Stored reading, 30 Oct 2026

IV rank

22

0 is the low, 100 the high, over 252 sessions

IV percentile

21%

Share of the last 252 sessions at or below this reading

GOOGL at-the-money implied volatility by expiry: 31.4% on 2 Nov, 38.7% on 6 Nov, 37.5% on 20 Nov, 32.1% on 4 Dec.30%35%40%31.4%2 Nov3d6 Nov7d37.5%20 Nov21d32.1%4 Dec35dHover or tap a point for its reading
ATM implied volatility by expiry for GOOGL. Points are evenly spaced rather than to time scale, and each point’s full reading appears above the chart when you hover or tap it.

ATM IV missing for some expiries

At-the-money IV needs two-sided bid and ask quotes at the strike nearest the last price. The 18 Dec expiry had none at this snapshot, so no figure is shown for it.

Among expiries a week or more away, at-the-money IV runs from 38.7% at 6 Nov to 32.1% at 4 Dec. The curve slopes down: nearer expiries carry more annualised volatility than later ones.

Put wall, call wall and max pain

Where open interest and gamma exposure concentrate for the next two monthly expiries.

GOOGL gamma and open-interest put walls, call walls and max pain by expiry
20 Nov 2026MonthlyGamma put wall$2903.0% above spotOpen-interest put wall$2903.0% above spotGamma call wall$35526.1% above spotOpen-interest call wall$37031.4% above spotMax pain$32515.5% above spot
The gamma put wall at $290 and open-interest put wall at $290 sit above the last price, so those puts are in the money.
18 Dec 2026Next monthlyClosest to 60 daysGamma put wall$2800.5% below spotOpen-interest put wall$3006.6% above spotGamma call wall$31010.1% above spotOpen-interest call wall$3006.6% above spotMax pain$3006.6% above spot
The open-interest put and call walls coincide at $300 (6.6% above spot), where open interest is largest on both sides. The put wall sits above the last price, so those puts are in the money.

For the 20 Nov expiry, gamma and open interest agree on the $290 put wall. On calls, open interest places the wall further from the last price than gamma does.

Earnings date and contract terms

Next earnings date

Not available

No upcoming earnings date was available from the earnings calendar at the time of this snapshot.

GOOGL contract terms

Exercise style
American style: the holder can exercise at any time up to expiry.
Settlement
Physical settlement: exercise and assignment deliver or take 100 shares per contract.
Last trading day
Trading ends at the close on the expiry date shown in each row. Monthly expiries fall on the third Friday, or the Thursday before when Friday is a market holiday.
Exercise vs assignment

How to read these numbers

Expected move
The at-the-money straddle price at midpoint prices: the size of move the market charges for in either direction, not a forecast.Breakevens and max loss
ATM implied volatility
Annualised volatility implied by at-the-money prices for one expiry; across expiries it forms the term structure.Implied volatility explained
IV rank and percentile
Rank places 30-day IV between its lowest and highest stored reading; percentile is the share of stored sessions at or below the current reading.
Gamma and open-interest walls
Gamma walls are the strikes with the most positive (call) and most negative (put) net gamma exposure; open-interest walls are the strikes with the most open calls and puts. A wall can sit on either side of the last price.Put wall vs max pain
Max pain
The strike where option holders would collect the least at expiry, given open interest. It does not predict the settlement price.Open interest vs volume

Model GOOGL trades with these numbers

The Visualizer reprices GOOGL live when you open it, then draws the expected move and probability range beside your payoff chart. The figures here are a snapshot from the time shown above, so they can differ slightly from the live screens.

All 26 tickers

Educational and informational only, not financial advice. Option figures are calculated from ThetaData quotes and open interest at the time shown. 30-day IV, IV rank and IV percentile come from stored daily readings, and earnings dates come from an earnings calendar. The figures describe what option prices imply, not what will happen. You make every trading decision. Options trading involves risk and is not suitable for all investors.