Sensex Straddle Chart
- Exchange
- BSE
- Strike interval
- 100
- Lot size
- 20
- Session
- 9:15 AM – 3:30 PM IST
Strike ladder
Live quotes around ATM —No live strike quotes — the ladder fills during market hours.
Nearest expiry only. Straddle is the combined premium of the at-the-money call and put. Data is for research and education, not investment advice — see the full disclaimer.
The Sensex straddle behaves much like Nifty's but on a roughly 3.2× larger index level, so the same percentage move shows up as a much larger premium number. Reading it in percent of spot rather than in rupees is what makes it comparable to the NSE indices.
What moves the Sensex straddle
- Strikes every 100 points on an index near 77,000 — a far finer grid in percentage terms than Nifty's 50 on 24,000, so the ATM rolls on smaller relative moves.
- Expiry-day behaviour is distinctive: the cash index freezes into the closing auction while derivatives keep trading, so late-session premium can move against a spot that has stopped updating.
- Weekly expiry lands on Thursday, so the 0-DTE decay profile arrives a day earlier in the week than traders used to Nifty tend to expect.
What a straddle chart shows
A straddle is the combined premium of the at-the-money call and the at-the-money put on the same strike and expiry. Buy both and you are long movement in either direction; sell both and you are short movement. Because the call gains roughly what the put loses on a small move, the direction of the underlying largely cancels out and the combined price becomes a live quote for how much movement the market expects.
That is what makes the straddle chart different from a price chart. A price chart tells you where the market went. A straddle chart tells you what the market was willing to pay for it to go anywhere at all — and, just as usefully, when it stopped being willing.
Rolling ATM versus a fixed strike
As the underlying moves, the strike that is at-the-money changes. A rolling straddle re-picks the ATM strike as this happens, so the line always describes the currently at-the-money contract. Each roll produces a genuine step in the premium, because a different contract is now being quoted — every roll on this chart is marked so a step is never mistaken for a volatility event.
A fixed straddle locks one strike for the whole session. It is continuous, and it is the honest series to read pure decay from, because no part of the move is an artefact of switching contracts. Use rolling to read what the market is pricing now; use fixed to measure what one position actually did.
Reading premium against open interest
Premium alone cannot tell you who is winning. Falling premium on rising open interest means sellers are adding into the decay — writers pressing. Falling premium on falling open interest means buyers are giving up and closing, which is a different market entirely even though the line looks identical.
The same applies on the way up. Rising premium on rising open interest is fresh buying paying up for movement; rising premium on falling open interest is short covering, which tends to accelerate. The open interest rail beneath the chart is there so you never have to read the premium in isolation.
The synthetic future and why it matters
Put-call parity says that strike + call − put reconstructs the forward price of the underlying. Plot it against spot and the gap between them is the basis — the market's own view of carry to expiry.
It has a practical use on expiry day. When the cash index freezes into the closing auction but derivatives keep trading, the synthetic future is the only live read on where the underlying actually is. A straddle chart that carries it is telling you something the index print no longer can.
Straddle chart — frequently asked questions
What is a straddle chart?
A straddle chart plots the combined premium of the at-the-money call and put over time. Because the call and put offset each other directionally, the line tracks what the market is charging for movement rather than for direction — making it one of the clearest live volatility readings available.
How is the straddle price calculated?
It is simply the ATM call price plus the ATM put price. For example, if the 24150 call trades at 35.35 and the 24150 put at 33.45, the 24150 straddle is 68.80.
Why does the straddle chart fall through the day?
Options lose time value as expiry approaches — theta decay. A straddle is long two options, so it carries that decay twice over. On a quiet session with no repricing of risk, the line bleeds steadily downward, and the effect is sharpest on expiry day when the premium is almost entirely time value.
What does it mean when the straddle price rises?
Rising straddle premium means the market is paying more for movement — implied volatility is expanding. That usually precedes or accompanies a directional move, an approaching event, or a break out of a range. It is one of the few readings that leads price rather than following it.
Why does the line jump suddenly?
Almost always because the at-the-money strike rolled. When the underlying moves far enough, a different strike becomes ATM and a different contract is being quoted, which steps the premium. Every roll is marked on this chart, and switching to fixed-strike mode removes them entirely.
Which instruments can I chart here?
Nifty 50, Bank Nifty, Sensex and Bankex on the index side, plus Gold, Silver, Crude Oil and Natural Gas on MCX. Commodity straddles run through the evening session to 11:30 PM IST.
Is the data live and free?
Yes. The chart updates roughly once a second from the live feed during market hours, with no login required. Historical sessions are served from one-minute option candles.
Which expiry does the chart use?
The nearest expiry for each instrument. Our feed subscribes one option expiry per symbol, so the chart always reflects the front contract rather than offering a choice of expiries.