What Is a Flow Score?

A flow score is a single composite number that summarizes how notable an options trade or trend is, by combining several individual signals into one figure.

Raw options data comes in many separate pieces: how big the trade was, whether it was near the bid or the ask, whether open interest actually confirmed a new position, how it compares to the strike's usual activity, and so on. Looking at each of these one at a time, for every trade, is slow and easy to misjudge. A flow score is a way of combining several of these individual signals into one number, so trades and trends can be ranked and compared at a glance.

What generally goes into a flow score

Different platforms weigh things differently, but a flow score typically draws on some combination of:

• Size — how large the trade or the day's activity is, in premium or contracts
• Relative size — how large that is compared to the contract's own normal activity
• Direction confidence — how clearly the trade leans bullish or bearish, versus being genuinely mixed
• Confirmation — whether open interest backs up that the position is real and freshly opened

Why use a score instead of raw numbers?

A ₹5 crore trade and a ₹50 lakh trade aren't directly comparable without context — the ₹50 lakh trade might be enormous for a thinly traded stock, while the ₹5 crore trade might be routine for a NIFTY weekly. A flow score is designed to account for that context, so a smaller trade on a quiet name and a larger trade on a busy one can be placed on the same scale fairly.

A flow score is a ranking tool, not a prediction

It's worth being direct about the limits: a flow score tells you how much a trade or a name stands out relative to other activity — it does not predict where the underlying price will go next. Treat it the way you'd treat any single ranking metric: useful for triaging what to look at first, not a substitute for actually reviewing the trade.