Net Drift — Net Flow Analysis
One line that shows whether the day's options money is leaning bullish or bearish.
Net Drift plots the cumulative net options premium for a symbol through the trading session — call premium minus put premium — as a single drifting line anchored at the 9:30 ET open. When the line climbs, net flow is bullish; when it falls, net flow is bearish, giving you the day's options money balance at a glance.
What is the Net Drift (Net Flow Analysis)?
Individual prints are noisy. Net Drift sums them into one running total: every captured print adds its premium to a cumulative call-minus-put line, so you see the net direction of the day's options money instead of a wall of ticks.
The line is anchored to $0 at the 9:30 ET open and drifts across the full session. A steady climb means buyers keep paying up for calls; a steady decline means the weight of premium is in puts.
Capture honesty matters: the panel shows when a day's data is thin (for example, after a quiet period with limited capture) with a clear banner rather than presenting a confident-looking but incomplete picture. Totals are sanitized so a single bad print can't distort the day.
How to read it
- Direction of the line: Rising = net call premium (bullish lean); falling = net put premium (bearish lean).
- Slope: A steep move means premium is piling in quickly; a flat line means balanced or quiet flow.
- Open baseline: The line starts at $0 at 9:30 ET, so everything you see is the net change since the open.
- Coverage banner: If capture was thin for the day, a banner flags it so you treat the summary as partial rather than complete.
Use cases
- Read the day's bias: Glance at the line to know whether options money is leaning long or short right now.
- Spot divergences: Price up but Net Drift falling? That divergence is worth a second look before you commit.
- Time entries: A fresh acceleration in net premium can mark where conviction enters the tape.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Net Drift line actually measure?
Cumulative net options premium for the symbol since the 9:30 ET open — total call premium minus total put premium across captured prints.
Why is the line sometimes flagged as 'partial day'?
Capture can be thin after quiet periods. Rather than fake a complete picture, the panel flags limited-coverage days so you read the summary with appropriate caution.
Can one huge print distort the total?
No. Premiums are sanitized — implausible volumes, sentinel prices, and absurd single-print premiums are dropped so the total stays honest.
Is it live?
Yes, it's built from live captured options flow. Historical 5-minute windows can't be backfilled because the chain data is point-in-time.