Free SPX Max Pain - S&P 500 Max Pain
Use free SPX Max Pain to find the candidate strike with the lowest combined call and put intrinsic value for S&P 500 at one selected expiration. Compare the full pain curve alongside business context that includes macro data, interest rates, volatility, and broad market positioning.
How to use the SPX Max Pain tool
Confirm SPX
SPX is already entered. Keep it or search another ticker.
Choose an expiration
Select the expiration you want the calculation to use.
Calculate Max Pain
Generate the result, then compare Max Pain with price and the full pain chart.
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What is Max Pain?
Max Pain is the strike price at which option sellers (market makers) would lose the least amount of money if the stock expired at that price. The theory suggests stocks tend to gravitate toward this price near expiration.
Chart Legend:
- Green bars: Call option pain per strike
- Red bars: Put option pain per strike
- Blue line: Max Pain strike
- Red line: Current underlying price
Key levels
SPX max pain in detail
Computed
Spot
$7,680
Max pain strike
$7,675
0.1% below spot
Expiration
2026-10-26
Lowest total pain by strike
| Strike | Call pain | Put pain | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7,675 | $98.5M | $98.0M | $196.5M |
| $7,680 | $106.9M | $90.1M | $197.0M |
| $7,670 | $90.7M | $106.3M | $197.0M |
| $7,685 | $115.9M | $82.3M | $198.2M |
| $7,665 | $83.3M | $115.1M | $198.3M |
Reviewed by the QuantWheel research team. Computed from listed SPX open interest for the expiration shown; a reference level, not a forecast. Read how we compute SPX max pain.
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Understanding SPX Max Pain
The SPX options chain represents S&P 500. Evaluate its open-interest distribution alongside business context that includes macro data, interest rates, volatility, and broad market positioning. Compare Max Pain across available expirations because the distribution can differ from one expiration to another.
For SPX, the calculator tests each candidate strike against call and put open interest for the selected expiration. Review the full curve with the result. The calculation describes the selected chain and does not predict where S&P 500 will trade.
How the SPX Max Pain calculation works
QuantWheel tests each strike as a possible expiration price. It adds the intrinsic value of open calls and puts at that price, weighted by open interest and the contract multiplier. The strike with the lowest combined value is displayed as SPX Max Pain.
This calculation uses the selected options chain. It does not measure dealer inventory, intent, future order flow or the probability that SPX will finish at the calculated strike.
Related SPX options tools
Compare expiration pain with the SPX GEX chart or review SPX gamma by strike and expiration.
SPX Max Pain FAQ
What is SPX Max Pain?
SPX Max Pain is the candidate expiration price where the combined intrinsic value of outstanding SPX calls and puts is lowest for the selected expiration. It is a calculation based on open interest, not a prediction of where SPX will trade.
How is SPX Max Pain calculated?
For each candidate price, QuantWheel calculates call and put intrinsic value across the selected SPX options chain, multiplies each value by open interest and the 100-share contract multiplier, then adds the totals. The candidate price with the lowest combined total is the Max Pain strike.
Which SPX expiration should I select?
Select the exact SPX expiration you want to examine. Weekly and monthly expirations can have different open-interest distributions, so compare them separately instead of applying one result to every date.
How should I use SPX Max Pain?
Compare the calculated strike with SPX price and the full call and put pain chart for the same expiration. Use it as expiration context alongside liquidity, gamma exposure and your own risk plan rather than as a standalone trading signal.
Is SPX Max Pain a price target?
No. SPX Max Pain does not forecast price and does not prove that traders or market makers will move SPX toward a particular strike. News, volatility, liquidity and positioning can outweigh any expiration-related pinning effect.
Is the SPX Max Pain calculator free?
Yes. QuantWheel provides a limited number of free SPX Max Pain calculations. The calculator shows how many free calculations remain before you run another expiration.