Weekly Pulse – Week of Aug 24-28, 2026 – Free-source build
Bull regime held; net call premium 1.5x put across 5 sessions; no single-name positioning carried through the week.
How to read this Pulse
KPI strip → Sector tape → Concentration (top single-name net premium) → This Week’s Tell → Dark-pool prints (FINRA T-14) → What changed → Next session catalysts → Data quality + methodology + disclaimer. The KPI strip carries the headline reads; the rest is the structure beneath them.
Key Level
SPY $769
Watch gamma flipCall Premium
$20.44B
vs Put $13.64BP/C Volume
0.74
ratioSector TapeClose · net options premium
| ETF · Sector | Day % | Call prem | Put prem | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY S&P 500 (broad market) | -0.23% | $963.9M | $910.0M | $53.9M |
| XLB Materials | -0.09% | $340.2K | $757.9K | -$417.7K |
| XLC Communication Services | +1.42% | $93.8K | $17.4K | $76.4K |
| XLE Energy | +0.63% | $12.9M | $6.8M | $6.1M |
| XLF Financials | +0.38% | $7.1M | $2.6M | $4.4M |
| XLI Industrials | -0.93% | $788.3K | $702.2K | $86.1K |
| XLK Technology | -1.55% | $5.8M | $7.9M | -$2.1M |
| XLP Consumer Staples | +0.43% | $529.9K | $1.4M | -$836.5K |
| XLRE Real Estate | -0.40% | $9.2K | $3.0K | $6.3K |
| XLU Utilities | -1.04% | $2.5M | $2.2M | $312.1K |
| XLV Health Care | -0.24% | $3.4M | $1.3M | $2.1M |
| XLY Consumer Discretionary | +1.15% | $152.5K | $95.2K | $57.4K |
ConcentrationTop single-name net premium
Tech anchors
- TSLA+$3.3M
- NVDA+$1.7M
- AMZN+$1.3M
- GOOG+$572.1K
- CRM+$483.6K
Non-tech anchors
- SPXW+$6.0M
- IWM-$3.3M
- SPX+$3.3M
- LITE-$3.3M
- SPCX+$646.3K
This Week’s TellStandout single-name positioning
Quiet Tape
No standout single-name positioning today.
Flow distributed evenly across index products. No single ticker accumulated the kind of one-sided ask-side imbalance or concentrated dark-pool absorption that draws institutional attention. Tape stayed in observation mode.
Dark-Pool TellsFINRA OTC ATS · T-14 lag
| Ticker | Total premium | Mega-prints (≥100K) | Print count |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | $2.42B | 13 | 500 |
| GOOGL | $1.37B | 8 | 500 |
| QQQ | $979.7M | 9 | 500 |
| AAPL | $934.3M | 7 | 500 |
| META | $782.4M | 2 | 500 |
| AMZN | $736.2M | 5 | 500 |
| TSLA | $525.9M | 1 | 500 |
| AVGO | $469.2M | 1 | 500 |
| MSFT | $466.8M | 2 | 500 |
| AMD | $459.7M | 2 | 500 |
FINRA ATS publishes with a T-14 lag — the off-exchange tape here reflects institutional activity two weeks ago, not the current session.
Cross-Sector Insider HeatmapSEC Form 4 net flow – last 5 sessions
Heaviest selling in Industrials.
What ChangedSession deltas
- ▲ Week call-premium total $20.44B vs put $13.64B = 1.5x call-heavy.
- ▲ Communication Services (XLC) closed Fri at $112.99 (+1.42%).
- ● Five-session window covered: 2026-08-24 through 2026-08-28.
Next Session CatalystsEyes on the tape
No major confirmed catalysts · week of Aug 31-4
Sector heatmap · Concentration · Dark pool · By-the-numbers