FIIs hold a heavy net-short futures position (-82%) but have reduced shorts for 2 sessions running. This is the early shape of a short-covering rally — sellers stepping back, not yet committed buyers.

What to watch:A clean break of yesterday's high on rising volume usually accelerates covering. If covering stalls and shorts reload, downside resumes — watch the FII futures number on tonight's close.

Macro setup is challenging

Multiple pressure points stack: US weak (S&P -0.9%), rupee weakening +0.20%. FIIs typically de-risk on this combination.

What to watch:Defensive sectors (FMCG, Pharma) often outperform on these days. Avoid commodity-importers and FII-heavy mid/smallcap names. If India VIX is also rising, the move can extend; if VIX is calm, expect a shallow pullback.

FII selling absorbed by DII buying

FIIs sold ₹1,688 Cr while DIIs bought ₹2,329 Cr. Domestic demand is cushioning the foreign supply — this is what keeps the index range-bound rather than breaking down.

What to watch:Any sustainable rally needs FIIs to flip net-buyer. Until that happens expect chop. Mid/smallcaps are the early-warning system — they crack first if DII demand weakens, even if the index looks calm.

Expiry in 3 days — different rules apply

With FIIs heavy short on futures going into expiry, expect option writers to defend high-OI strikes. Max-pain becomes a magnet, theta accelerates, and intraday moves get whippier than they look.

What to watch:Avoid carrying directional option longs through expiry without strong conviction — they bleed fast. Cash trades on the underlying indices are cleaner this week than option spreads.

Why is it pricing this way?

Overnight Setup global & macro backdrop

Overnight Global Cues

Mixed cues

S&P -0.87% · Nikkei -0.30%

Macro Backdrop

Crude / USDINR

Crude $86.9 (-1.0%) · USDINR 95.68 (+0.20%)

Where is money moving today?

Sector Money Flow based on sector-index momentum

↑Money flowing IN

Banks

+0.46%

↓Money flowing OUT

-0.46%

Pharma

-0.21%

Gold

4,638.8

+2.71%

Silver

69.7

+2.39%

Copper

6.6

+1.94%

Crude

86.9

-1.04%

USDINR

95.68

+0.20%

10Y UST

4.71%

+0.21%

What are derivative traders doing?

NIFTY Option Chain nearest expiry 2026-08-25 · spot 24,252 · EOD 2026-08-20

Writers expect Nifty between 24,000 and 24,300 this week — +0.2% upside, -1.0% downside.

downside-skewed

Call OI (writers)	Strike	Put OI (writers)
36,205 IV 18% Δ 0.91 θ -13.2 ν 4	23650	1,969,045
171,340 IV 15% Δ 0.93 θ -10.4 ν 3	23700	6,962,475
45,240 IV 17% Δ 0.89 θ -13.3 ν 5	23750	2,463,370
610,350 IV 15% Δ 0.90 θ -12.3 ν 5	23800	7,440,420
70,005 IV 14% Δ 0.89 θ -12.2 ν 5	23850	3,176,875
273,780 IV 13% Δ 0.87 θ -12.1 ν 5	23900	6,711,055
200,330 IV 12% Δ 0.86 θ -12.3 ν 6	23950	3,472,560
5,939,635 IV 11% Δ 0.84 θ -12.0 ν 6	24000 S	17,814,550
572,780 IV 10% Δ 0.80 θ -12.6 ν 7	24050	3,377,400 IV 8% Δ -0.14 θ -5.3 ν 6
2,777,515 IV 10% Δ 0.76 θ -12.7 ν 8	24100	8,737,365 IV 8% Δ -0.20 θ -6.1 ν 7
1,218,880 IV 9% Δ 0.70 θ -13.0 ν 9	24150	6,141,135 IV 8% Δ -0.27 θ -6.8 ν 8
9,122,165 IV 9% Δ 0.62 θ -13.2 ν 10	24200	15,503,670 IV 7% Δ -0.35 θ -7.1 ν 9
6,861,530 IV 9% Δ 0.54 θ -13.0 ν 10	24250 MP	6,958,770 IV 7% Δ -0.46 θ -7.1 ν 10
13,876,980 IV 8% Δ 0.44 θ -12.4 ν 10	24300 R	9,835,345 IV 7% Δ -0.57 θ -6.2 ν 10
4,574,635 IV 8% Δ 0.35 θ -11.2 ν 9	24350	1,989,780 IV 7% Δ -0.68 θ -4.6 ν 9
9,774,440 IV 8% Δ 0.26 θ -9.6 ν 8	24400	3,521,960 IV 6% Δ -0.80 θ -2.1 ν 7
3,715,790 IV 8% Δ 0.19 θ -7.8 ν 7	24450	563,745 IV 6% Δ -0.90 θ +0.8 ν 4
13,250,445 IV 8% Δ 0.13 θ -6.1 ν 5	24500	3,754,530
5,039,515	24550	184,340
8,538,010	24600	873,665
3,402,035	24650	172,965
6,814,405	24700	768,235
3,294,980	24750	93,275
7,231,640	24800	400,335
2,403,505	24850	52,845

What this tells you

Spot 24,252

Resistance (R) 24,300

Support (S) 24,000

Max Pain (MP) 24,250

Highest call-OI strike = where writers expect resistance. Highest put-OI strike = where writers expect support. Max-pain magnet pulls strongest in expiry week.

Strategy Builder multi-leg payoff for NIFTY options · 2026-08-25 expiry

Underlying: NIFTY · Spot: ₹ 24,252.00 · Expiry: 2026-08-25 · Lot: 75

Legs

Side

Type

Strike

Qty

Premium

Net premium—

Max profit—

Max loss—

Breakevens—

Position Delta—

Position Theta/day—

Position Vega/1% IV—

Payoff at expiry

F&O OI Buildup stock futures · total OI across all expiries · 2026-08-20

Long Buildup price up + OI up — fresh longs added

PNBHOUSING

+0.31%

OI +10.5%

SAIL

+1.67%

OI +7.8%

JINDALSTEL

+0.57%

OI +6.3%

AMBER

+0.20%

OI +5.7%

PAYTM

+1.30%

OI +5.1%

MARUTI

+1.06%

OI +4.3%

COFORGE

+3.10%

OI +4.3%

RADICO

+0.25%

OI +4.3%

Short Covering price up + OI down — shorts closing

WAAREEENER

+0.61%

OI -21.3%

LODHA

+2.54%

OI -19.9%

IREDA

+1.06%

OI -16.6%

SWIGGY

+2.69%

OI -16.1%

MAZDOCK

+0.92%

OI -15.2%

DALBHARAT

+1.65%

OI -15.0%

BLUESTARCO

+1.06%

OI -13.4%

IRFC

+1.72%

OI -13.2%

Short Buildup price down + OI up — fresh shorts added

GODFRYPHLP

-0.87%

OI +18.8%

CAMS

-0.54%

OI +9.0%

RECLTD

-2.54%

OI +6.6%

KEI

-0.24%

OI +6.4%

PFC

-2.29%

OI +5.4%

GVT&D

-0.58%

OI +4.9%

VMM

-0.14%

OI +4.4%

TATASTEEL

-0.20%

OI +3.7%

Long Unwinding price down + OI down — longs closing

DMART

-0.25%

OI -12.6%

ASTRAL

-0.23%

OI -12.4%

PIIND

-0.46%

OI -11.5%

SONACOMS

-0.05%

OI -10.5%

NESTLEIND

-0.15%

OI -4.2%

KAYNES

-0.09%

OI -3.9%

HAVELLS

-0.45%

OI -3.7%

HINDPETRO

-0.51%

OI -3.3%

Unusual OI Buildup stocks with ±20%+ OI swings today · positioning outliers

Symbol	Classification	Price Δ	OI Δ
WAAREEENER	Short Covering	+0.61%	-21.3%

Futures Basis Screener premium/discount of nearest-expiry futures to spot

↑ Premium · futures trading above spot

Symbol	Spot	Future	Basis %
GVT&D	4,050.17	4,080.90	+0.76%
TATACONSUM	1,056.31	1,063.60	+0.69%
HCLTECH	1,318.54	1,327.40	+0.67%
BANDHANBNK	174.16	175.27	+0.64%
RVNL	227.90	229.33	+0.63%
PRESTIGE	1,585.48	1,595.20	+0.61%
VOLTAS	1,219.52	1,226.90	+0.60%
GODREJPROP	2,020.02	2,032.10	+0.60%

↓ Discount · futures trading below spot

Symbol	Spot	Future	Basis %
LICHSGFIN	508.04	498.50	-1.88%
PATANJALI	352.50	349.05	-0.98%
JSWSTEEL	1,299.39	1,287.20	-0.94%
HDFCAMC	2,623.55	2,601.00	-0.86%
LTM	4,552.95	4,514.20	-0.85%
SHRIRAMFIN	1,128.19	1,120.10	-0.72%
HAVELLS	1,277.92	1,269.00	-0.70%
INDHOTEL	735.84	731.05	-0.65%

Top Traded F&O Contracts where derivative volume is concentrated today

Contract	Type	Close	Traded Value	OI	OI Δ
NIFTY26AUG24200PE	IDO	56.35	4.78 L Cr	13,288,990	+6,918,145
NIFTY26AUG24200CE	IDO	150.45	3.66 L Cr	8,408,595	-2,676,245
NIFTY26AUG24300CE	IDO	89.60	3.02 L Cr	9,785,880	-1,823,575
NIFTY26AUG24250PE	IDO	74.20	2.58 L Cr	4,977,505	+3,927,495
NIFTY26AUG24250CE	IDO	117.55	2.58 L Cr	4,170,595	+372,515
NIFTY26AUG24300PE	IDO	96.05	2.30 L Cr	7,477,275	+2,664,740
NIFTY26AUG24500CE	IDO	21.90	2.14 L Cr	12,514,645	-2,349,620
NIFTY26AUG24400CE	IDO	47.35	1.84 L Cr	8,220,680	-570,310
NIFTY26AUG24000PE	IDO	18.40	1.79 L Cr	16,347,890	+2,678,780
NIFTY26AUG25000CE	IDO	1.45	1.60 L Cr	11,924,120	-2,670,980
NIFTY26AUG24100PE	IDO	32.30	1.50 L Cr	7,622,420	+778,960
NIFTY26AUG24800CE	IDO	2.45	1.46 L Cr	6,910,995	-597,935

Who's actually moving the money?

Smart Counterparty Activity 21-Aug-2026

1 FII buys · 6 MF buys / 1 sells · 1 Insurance buys · 1 Promoter sells · 137 deals totaling ₹3,037 Cr. Showing top 20 by value.

Stock	Type	Side	Qty	Value (₹ Cr)	Counterparty
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk+Block	SELL	26,350,000	247.29	ACTIS HIGHWAY INFRA LIMITED
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	BUY	3,248,305	181.91	SBI MUTUAL FUND MF
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	SELL	3,169,073	177.47	TRUDY HOLDINGS
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	SELL	2,727,000	152.71	ACCEL INDIA VI (MAURITIUS) LTD.
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	SELL	2,727,000	152.71	ACCEL GROWTH VI HOLDINGS (MAURITIUS) LTD.
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk+Block	BUY	11,700,000	109.80	LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	SELL	1,864,948	104.44	AVP I FUND
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	BUY	1,840,979	103.09	SBI MUTUAL FUND MF
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Bulk+Block	BUY	1,785,713	100.00	HDFC STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD Insurance
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk+Block	BUY	8,800,000	82.59	KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK LIMITED
SHANTIGEAR Shanthi Gears Ltd	Bulk+Block	BUY	2,064,713	77.49	TUBE INVESTMENT OF INDIA LIMITED
SHANTIGEAR Shanthi Gears Ltd	Bulk+Block	SELL	2,064,713	77.49	PACIFIC ASSETS TRUST PLC
PRSMJOHNSN Prism Johnson LTD	Bulk	SELL	6,180,291	66.73	SBI MUTUAL FUND MF
PRSMJOHNSN Prism Johnson LTD	Bulk	BUY	6,176,178	66.68	SBI MUTUAL FUND MF
KWIL Kwality Wall's (India) L	Bulk	BUY	13,326,862	63.44	JUNOMONETA FINSOL PRIVATE LIMITED
KWIL Kwality Wall's (India) L	Bulk	SELL	13,309,156	63.40	JUNOMONETA FINSOL PRIVATE LIMITED
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk	SELL	6,450,000	60.89	ACTIS HIGHWAY INFRA LIMITED
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk+Block	BUY	5,850,000	54.90	KOTAK MAHINDRA INVESTMENTS LIMITED
AMAGI Amagi Media Labs Limited	Block	BUY	934,444	52.33	ICICI PRUDENTIAL MUTUAL FUND MF
NXT-INFRA Nxt-Infra Trust	Bulk	BUY	3,575,000	33.64	LGT WEALTH INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Institutional Streaks consecutive sessions with FII / MF / Insurance activity on the same side

Stock	Side	Streak	Total Value	Window	Notable Buyers
CMLL	BUY	2d	₹ 139 Cr	2026-07-24 → 2026-07-27	CARNELIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT & ADVISORS PRIVATE LIMITED · GOLDMAN SACHS BANK EUROPE SE ODI · PLUTUS RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED
BLEL	BUY	2d	₹ 56 Cr	2026-08-19 → 2026-08-20	360 ONE MUTUAL FUND · PLUTUS RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED
GANDHAR	BUY	2d	₹ 44 Cr	2026-07-23 → 2026-07-24	SOCIETE GENERALE

What are institutions positioned for?

Institutional Positioning how FIIs are set up under the surface

FII Futures Posture

Heavy Short

net-long ratio -82.4%

FII Direction Streak

Flat

no material change session-on-session

India VIX

11.19

Calm · +4.0% d/d

Days to Monthly Expiry

Thu, 30 Jul

Nifty PCR (EOD)

1.08

Balanced

Nifty Max Pain (EOD)

24,250

in line with spot (24,252)

Events Calendar next 3 weeks · earnings + macro releases + monthly expiry

2026-08-27

EXPIRY NIFTY / BankNifty Monthly F&O Expiry Theta accelerates; max-pain magnet near close

2026-08-29

IIP India Q1 FY27 GDP Quarterly GDP print

Have we been right before?

Signal Calendar last 14 weeks

Bullish Bearish Warning Quiet

FII Positioning Detail

FII Index Futures net-long ratio -82.4% +0.31 pp

FII calls long Δ +12,002

FII puts long Δ -670

FII calls short Δ -21,270

FII puts short Δ +52,459

Recent Signals click a date to revisit that day's dashboard

2026-07-22

FII Fresh Shorting Retail-vs-FII Divergence Widening *

2026-07-21

DII Futures Build-up *

2026-07-20

Retail-vs-FII Divergence Widening *

2026-07-17

FII Short Covering DII Futures Unwind *

2026-07-14

Retail-vs-FII Divergence Widening *

2026-07-08

FII Fresh Shorting Retail-vs-FII Divergence Widening * DII Futures Build-up *

2026-06-30

Retail-vs-FII Divergence Widening *

2026-06-25

Monthly Expiry Imminent *

2026-06-24

Monthly Expiry Imminent *

2026-06-23

Monthly Expiry Imminent *

2026-06-16

DII Futures Unwind *

2026-06-15

DII Futures Build-up *

Smart-Money Flow Tracker for Indian Markets live FII / DII positioning, F&O OI buildup, bulk deals & option chain · 2026-07-27 · vs 2026-07-24

Stock Heatmap NIFTY 500 universe · sized by traded value · click any cell for details

Futures Heatmap F&O stocks · sized by futures traded value · coloured by OI buildup class

Stocks in Play positioning from 2026-07-27 · what to watch at next open

Market Pulse where things stand right now

Top Nifty Contributors stocks moving the index most today (weighted)

Smart Money Take interpretation, not just data

Overnight Setup global & macro backdrop

Sector Money Flow based on sector-index momentum

NIFTY Option Chain nearest expiry 2026-08-25 · spot 24,252 · EOD 2026-08-20

What this tells you

Strategy Builder multi-leg payoff for NIFTY options · 2026-08-25 expiry

Legs

Payoff at expiry

F&O OI Buildup stock futures · total OI across all expiries · 2026-08-20

Unusual OI Buildup stocks with ±20%+ OI swings today · positioning outliers

Futures Basis Screener premium/discount of nearest-expiry futures to spot

↑ Premium · futures trading above spot

↓ Discount · futures trading below spot

Top Traded F&O Contracts where derivative volume is concentrated today

Smart Counterparty Activity 21-Aug-2026

Institutional Streaks consecutive sessions with FII / MF / Insurance activity on the same side

Institutional Positioning how FIIs are set up under the surface

Events Calendar next 3 weeks · earnings + macro releases + monthly expiry

Signal Calendar last 14 weeks

FII Positioning Detail

Recent Signals click a date to revisit that day's dashboard

Live data hubs

Guides & explainers

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