What the institutional money is doing on C right now — dark pool, options positioning, and where the news and the money disagree. Free.
News is upbeat about bank earnings, but money signals show institutions are hedging defensively (more puts than calls in flow) despite heavy off-exchange trading.
Positive news tone clashes with money showing defensive positioning (puts outweighing calls in today's flow) and low squeeze risk, suggesting institutions are not aggressively betting on upside.
Bullish earnings forecast contrasts with money showing balanced-to-defensive hedging (put-call ratio near 1.08) and very low squeeze pressure, indicating institutions are not positioning aggressively for a breakout.
Neutral news with no direct bearing on Citigroup's money signals.
Bearish analyst call on bank valuations aligns with money showing defensive hedging (puts in flow) and low squeeze risk, but institutions are still trading heavily off-exchange, suggesting they are not panicking.
A divergence is when the news narrative and the institutional money flow point in opposite directions — a bearish headline while large call premium is bought, or heavy dark-pool selling under a bullish story. It signals the crowd and the desks may disagree.
Dark-pool volume — The share of trading done off-exchange, where institutions move size quietly. Well above ~40% means big players are active.
Max pain — The price where the most options expire worthless — positioning often gravitates toward it near expiry.
Call wall / Put floor — Strikes with the heaviest call/put open interest — they often act as short-term resistance and support.
Put/Call ratio — Below ~0.7 leans bullish (more calls); above ~1 leans defensive (more puts).
