NMDC Options — Where Positioning Sits Today

Where NMDC open interest sits

The heaviest call open interest is at the 90 strike, holding 1,80,02,250 contracts — 24.1% of all NMDC call open interest on the board, 6.57% above the spot of 84. Call open interest concentrated above price is commonly read as resistance, on the reasoning that writers there are defending the level. It is a crowding observation, not a rule — the level holds until that open interest unwinds.

On the put side the weight is at 85 with 53,32,500 contracts, 13.6% of NMDC put open interest, 0.65% above spot. That strike is in the money, so it is not acting as support — price is already beneath it. Heavy in-the-money put open interest more often reflects protection bought before the move than a level being defended now.

New to this? Read the Open Interest guide — how to read it, with worked examples.

What NMDC's PCR is saying

NMDC is carrying 3,91,63,500 contracts of put open interest against 7,46,01,000 of call, a put-call ratio of 0.52 — call-heavy positioning. PCR has no universally good value; it is read against its own recent range, and the direction it is moving carries more than the level.

It opened the session at 0.52 and has held to 0.52 — a move of 0.00. That is effectively flat: positioning has not changed sides today.

New to this? Read the PCR guide — how to read it, with worked examples.

NMDC against its max pain

Max pain for NMDC computes to 86, with spot at 84 — 1.84% below it. That strike is where the total value of all open contracts expiring would be lowest. It is arithmetic on the current open interest distribution, not a forecast, and the distribution keeps changing.

The curve is defined around it: the nearest strike either side costs writers 3.1% more than 86. A trough that distinct is a stronger reference than a flat basin, though it still describes positioning rather than predicting settlement.

There are 21 sessions to expiry. This far out the figure moves as positions roll, and it is least informative early in a series — worth watching for direction of travel rather than as a target.

New to this? Read the Max Pain guide — how to read it, with worked examples.

What changed in NMDC today

The biggest unwind is −13,500 put contracts at 96. Positions closing matters as much as positions opening — a level defended by open interest stops being defended when that open interest leaves, and a break through a strike that is unwinding is a different event from a break against one that is intact.

Change is measured against this session's opening snapshot rather than the previous close, so the overnight gap and the positions rolled at the open do not swamp the reading.

New to this? Read the OI Change guide — how to read it, with worked examples.

The move priced into NMDC

The at-the-money straddle on NMDC costs 3.84 — 1.91 for the call and 1.93 for the put at the 85 strike. That sum is what the market charges to be covered in either direction, which makes it the move being priced in: about 4.55% of spot, or roughly 81 to 89 by expiry on a breakeven basis.

The straddle has moved 0.0% since the open. That is close to flat, so today's decay and any volatility move have roughly offset.

Implied volatility at the money is 24.6% on the call and 22.6% on the put. The call carries 2.0 points more, which is the less common direction and points to upside being bid.

New to this? Read the ATM Premium guide — how to read it, with worked examples.