Intel Corporation ended the session at $100.32, a decrease of 5.57%.
Options flow was dominated by two opposing large trades. A $11.85 million short straddle at the 100 strike indicated a view that INTC may stay rangebound, while a $2.01 million in-the-money call purchase pointed to bullish conviction. Together, the block activity leaned constructive.
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Options Indicators
INTC’s implied volatility is 65.20%, and with an IV percentile of 33.07%, current option pricing sits in a broadly neutral volatility regime rather than an unusually cheap or expensive extreme. The IV/HV ratio of 1.20 indicates implied volatility is running modestly above historical volatility, suggesting the options market is embedding somewhat higher forward-looking uncertainty than what the stock has recently realized, but not to a degree that points to aggressively stretched premiums.
The Call/Put volume ratio is 1.36.
Large Trades
A premium-selling combination worth $11.85 million was the largest displayed trade, consisting of a short 100.0 call and a short 100.0 put expiring on 2028-01-21. With the stock reference at 100.32, the call was slightly in the money while the put was out of the money, creating a short straddle centered near the current price rather than a synthetic structure. Because this combination includes both a sell call and a sell put, it reflects a volatility-selling, income-oriented position taken for a net credit of $11.85 million. Strategically, this suggests the trader is willing to collect substantial premium in exchange for accepting two-sided risk, implying a view that INTC is likely to remain relatively anchored around the 100 strike over the longer-dated horizon rather than make an outsized move.
A call buy worth $2.01 million was the other highlighted large trade, involving the purchase of 3,025 contracts of the 100.0 call expiring on 2026-10-02. With INTC at 100.32, this call was in the money at execution, making it a relatively high-delta bullish expression. The buyer paid premium for upside exposure at a strike closely aligned with the current stock price, which points to a directional bet on further appreciation while retaining defined risk through the option premium outlay.
Overall, the large-trade flow leans clearly bullish. Even though the biggest highlighted transaction was a large premium-selling straddle that is more consistent with neutral-to-rangebound expectations and volatility harvesting, the broader block activity still shows bullish dominance, supported by repeated put selling and upside call buying. Taken together, the figures suggest institutional traders remain constructive on INTC’s medium-term outlook, with sentiment favoring stabilization to higher prices rather than a sustained downside move.
Strategy Reference
For an income-oriented view consistent with the short straddle, sellers may consider the 85.00 put or 115.00 call with lower assignment probability; alternatively, a put credit spread at 90.00/85.00 reduces margin requirements while limiting upside risk to the net credit received.
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