How do you read options flow as a beginner?

Start with one alert rather than the whole feed. Read it in four parts: the contract (ticker, strike, expiry), the size (premium paid and volume against open interest), the execution (whether it hit the ask, the bid, or crossed as a block), and the context (earnings, the chart, dealer gamma). Only when several of those agree is the print worth acting on.

What is unusual options activity?

Unusual options activity is an options trade that is large or aggressive relative to that contract's own history: heavy premium, volume well above existing open interest, and an execution that suggests urgency. TraderMatrix scores every trade on volume-to-open-interest, premium size, bid-ask execution and days to expiration, and flags those scoring 85 or above.

What is the difference between a sweep and a block trade?

A sweep is one order split across several exchanges at once to fill immediately, which signals urgency. A block is a single large trade negotiated off the public order book, which signals size and planning. A golden sweep is a sweep that is also large enough to qualify as a block.

How long does it take to learn to read the tape?

The mechanics take about an afternoon: the four parts of an alert, what volume against open interest means, and which prints are ordinary hedging. Recognising the patterns quickly enough to use them takes weeks of watching. Watch the feed without trading first.

Do I need a subscription to learn on TraderMatrix?

No. The learning hub, the trading glossary and the tool guides are open to everyone without an account. A subscription unlocks the live scanners and screeners themselves, and it starts with a seven-day free trial.

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Tool guide

Skills Library

Read the methods other members wrote for Arya, save one to your own Arya or fork it. Each skill shows its pick record, counts first.

Open the tool →

What it is

A shared shelf of Arya skills that members wrote. A skill is a saved method, like a setup checklist or a grading scale, that Arya runs by name.

What you can do

Read the text of any listed skill.
Save one to your own Arya and ask Arya to run it by name.
Fork one: edit your saved copy, then publish it as its own entry that shows where it came from.
Publish a skill you wrote from Settings, under Arya skills. A reviewer checks it for abuse, not for merit.

Reading a pick record

Some skills are run by the server on a schedule, and their picks are scored later. The page shows counts first. Below 40 matured picks it says so and shows no percentage. The score is the stock's move, not the option, so it is not what a trade in the option would have made.

Every skill is written by a member and is not a recommendation by TraderMatrix.

Access

Any logged-in member can browse. Free accounts see 3 skills with the text locked. Saving, forking and reporting are for paid members, and publishing is for Premium.

Concepts used here