NVIDIA · stock

NVDA options: expected move, IV and max pain

NVIDIA (NVDA) traded near $205.25 at the last snapshot. Option prices for the 20 Nov monthly expiry, which is 21 days away, imply a move of about $19.00 either way (9.26%), a range of $186.25 to $224.25.

Last price
$205.25
Expected move
±$19.00
9.26% · to 20 Nov
ATM IV
48.1%
20 Nov expiry
Data as of

Source: ThetaData

What stands out in the NVDA data

  • 30-day IV is 43.3%, the 66th percentile of the last 252 sessions, with an IV rank of 57.
  • The 20 Nov chain lists 107 strikes and 1,550,393 contracts of open interest.
  • Open interest is largest at the 18 Dec expiry, at 2,755,852 contracts.

Expected move by expiry

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

NVDA expected move, ATM implied volatility and price range by expiry
2 Nov 2026NearestTime left3 daysATM IV32.0%Expected move±$4.65 (2.27%)Price range$200.60 to $209.90
6 Nov 2026WeeklyTime left7 daysATM IV41.1%Expected move±$9.35 (4.56%)Price range$195.90 to $214.60
20 Nov 2026MonthlyIncludes earnings (17 Nov)Time left21 daysATM IV48.1%Expected move±$19.00 (9.26%)Price range$186.25 to $224.25
4 Dec 2026Closest to 30 daysIncludes earnings (17 Nov)Time left35 daysATM IV43.0%Expected move±$21.75 (10.60%)Price range$183.50 to $227.00
18 Dec 2026Next monthlyClosest to 60 daysIncludes earnings (17 Nov)Time left49 daysATM IV41.1%Expected move±$25.03 (12.19%)Price range$180.22 to $230.27

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 2.27% for the 2 Nov expiry and 12.19% for the 18 Dec expiry.

The 20 Nov, 4 Dec and 18 Dec expiries include NVIDIA's 17 Nov report, so their expected moves price that event.

Implied volatility and term structure

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

Monthly ATM IV

48.1%

20 Nov 2026, 21 days

Nearest ATM IV

32.0%

2 Nov 2026, 3 days

Longest ATM IV

41.1%

18 Dec 2026, 49 days

30-day IV

43.3%

Stored reading, 30 Oct 2026

IV rank

57

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

IV percentile

66%

Share of the last 252 sessions at or below this reading

NVDA at-the-money implied volatility by expiry: 32.0% on 2 Nov, 41.1% on 6 Nov, 48.1% on 20 Nov, 43.0% on 4 Dec, 41.1% on 18 Dec.30%40%50%60%32.0%2 Nov3d6 Nov7d48.1%20 Nov21d4 Dec35d41.1%18 Dec49dHover or tap a point for its reading
ATM implied volatility by expiry for NVDA. 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.

Among expiries a week or more away, at-the-money IV runs from 41.1% at 6 Nov to 41.1% at 18 Dec. The curve is close to flat: every expiry carries about the same annualised volatility.

IV steps up from 41.1% at 6 Nov to 48.1% at 20 Nov, the first expiry to include the 17 Nov report. Expiries past a report carry it in their price.

Put wall, call wall and max pain

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

NVDA gamma and open-interest put walls, call walls and max pain by expiry
20 Nov 2026MonthlyGamma put wall$1907.4% below spotOpen-interest put wall$1907.4% below spotGamma call wall$23012.1% above spotOpen-interest call wall$23012.1% above spotMax pain$2102.3% above spot
18 Dec 2026Next monthlyClosest to 60 daysGamma put wall$2002.6% below spotOpen-interest put wall$2002.6% below spotGamma call wall$1907.4% below spotOpen-interest call wall$1907.4% below spotMax pain$17713.8% below spot
The gamma call wall at $190 and open-interest call wall at $190 sit below the last price, so those calls are in the money.

For the 20 Nov expiry, gamma and open interest agree on both walls: $190 (7.4% below spot) for puts and $230 (12.1% above spot) for calls.

Earnings date and contract terms

Next earnings date

17 Nov 2026

NVIDIA is listed to report during trading hours on 17 Nov 2026. The date comes from an earnings calendar and can change. The 20 Nov, 4 Dec and 18 Dec expiries include the report.

NVDA 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 NVDA trades with these numbers

The Visualizer reprices NVDA 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.