Sensex Expiry Today Prediction: Can Bulls Stage a Comeback on 22 Oct 2026?
- October 22, 2026
- Posted by: Harsh Piplani
- Category: News
Sensex expiry today: the weekly contract expires at 3:30 pm IST on Thursday 22 Oct 2026. At 10:17 am IST the Sensex was near 73,348 against a previous close of 73,709.69, the at-the-money strike was 73,300, the put call ratio was 0.92 and one lot is 20 units. A pricing page snapshot shows max pain at 73,600. The index is down for a third session. This is a reading of data, not a trading call.
Quick Answer
Sensex expiry today is the Sensex weekly expiry of BSE options at 3:30 pm IST, with a lot size of 20 and the at-the-money strike near 73,300. The live put call ratio from 9:15 to 10:17 am was 0.92, with about 8.61 crore units of call open interest against 7.95 crore of put open interest, so call writers hold slightly more positions than put writers. A pricing page snapshot shows max pain at 73,600, which is above the spot price of about 73,348. Bulls need the Sensex to reclaim about 73,530 and then the 73,709.69 previous close to stage a comeback, and those are my reference levels and not forecasts.
Sensex expiry today comes after three straight falls, with the index down about 2% from its 16 Oct close of 74,729.27, and the question in the headline is whether bulls can stage a comeback before the 3:30 pm expiry. The data points to a cautious answer: the Sensex is trading below its 20-day average and call open interest slightly exceeds put open interest.
This article on the Sensex expiry today prediction covers the contract details, the open interest reading, where the index stands, the bull and bear levels, what a comeback needs and the risks of trading expiry day. Where a level is my own reference, I say so. It is educational and not a recommendation to trade any option or future.
Click Here – Get Free Investment Predictions
Sensex Expiry Today: Contract Details and Open Interest
| Sensex expiry today: item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Expiry time for Sensex expiry today | Thursday 22 Oct 2026, 3:30 pm IST (BSE weekly options) |
| Weekly and monthly rule | Weekly options expire every Thursday; the monthly contract expires on the last Thursday |
| Lot size | 20 units |
| Notional value of one lot | About Rs 14.71 lakh at a futures price of 73,525.95 (pricing page snapshot) |
| Spot and at-the-money strike | About 73,348.39 and 73,300 (my live data pull, 9:15 to 10:17 am) |
| Sensex put call ratio, live | 0.92 for the Sensex expiry today |
| Total call and put open interest, live | 86,105,100 and 79,490,460 units as reported by the data tool |
| Sensex max pain and put call ratio, snapshot | 73,600 and 0.54 for 22 Oct (undated pricing page snapshot) |
| Next expiry | 29 Oct 2026 with max pain at 74,000 and a put call ratio of 0.95 in the same snapshot |
The two readings of the Sensex put call ratio do not match: my live pull shows 0.92 and the pricing page snapshot shows 0.54, and I could not date the snapshot, so I rely on the live reading for the Sensex expiry today and treat the max pain figure as indicative. A put call ratio below 1 means more call than put open interest, which is usually read as call writers expecting the index to stay below strikes above spot (my reading). Sensex max pain is the strike at which option buyers would lose the most, and some traders watch it as a magnet on expiry day, although the index does not have to settle there.
Compare index and stock screeners on the Univest screeners page
Sensex Expiry Today Prediction: Where the Index Stands
| Sensex expiry today prediction: date | Sensex close | Day range |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 2026 | 71,593.24 | 71,327.75 to 72,693.97 |
| 14 Oct 2026 | 72,781.89 | 72,578.75 to 73,195.26 |
| 15 Oct 2026 | 74,315.61 | 72,896.38 to 74,330.29 |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 74,729.27 | 74,012.99 to 74,778.78 |
| 19 Oct 2026 | 73,852.90 | 73,708.54 to 74,849.75 |
| 21 Oct 2026 | 73,709.69 | 73,229.45 to 74,682.19 |
| 22 Oct 2026 so far in the Sensex expiry today | About 73,300 | 73,007.83 to 73,422.71 |
Three indicators frame the Sensex expiry today prediction. The 14-day RSI is about 54.5, which is neutral. The index is trading below its 20-day exponential moving average of about 73,530 and well below its 50-day simple average of about 75,066 (my data pull at 10:17 am). The close on 15 Oct was a sharp 1,533-point rebound from 72,781.89 and the index has since given back about 1,500 points, my calculation, so the 22 Oct session starts from a weak position even though it is above the 8 Oct low.
Download the Univest iOS App or Univest Android App to watch live index levels and set alerts.
Risk: A neutral RSI does not protect the index from a fall if crude oil or foreign selling worsens, and expiry day moves can reverse within minutes.
Sensex Expiry Today: Bull and Bear Levels
| Sensex expiry today: level | Why it matters (my reference level) |
|---|---|
| 74,682.19 | High of 21 Oct, the top of the recent bounce |
| 74,000 | Round number near the 29 Oct max pain figure of 74,000 |
| 73,709.69 | Previous close, the first test for a Sensex expiry today comeback |
| About 73,530 | 20-day exponential moving average |
| 73,600 | Max pain in the pricing page snapshot |
| 73,229.45 | Low of 21 Oct |
| 73,007.83 | Low of the Sensex expiry today session so far |
| 72,781.89 | Close of 14 Oct, the base of the 15 Oct rebound |
A bullish case for the Sensex expiry today needs the index to climb back above the 20-day average near 73,530 and then close the gap to 73,709.69, which would show buyers are absorbing the morning fall. Above that, the 74,000 round number and the 74,682.19 high of 21 Oct are the next hurdles. A bearish case begins if the index slips below the day low of 73,007.83, which would put the 72,781.89 close of 14 Oct in play. These are levels I took from the candles I pulled, not targets given by an analyst.
Risk: Levels taken from past closes can fail without warning, and on expiry day option positioning can push the index through several levels in a few minutes.
Can Bulls Stage a Comeback on Sensex Expiry Today?
| Sensex expiry today: condition | What it would suggest |
|---|---|
| Sensex reclaims 73,530 and holds it for an hour | Buyers are defending the 20-day average |
| Put open interest rises faster than call open interest | The put call ratio moves from 0.92 towards 1, a better sign for bulls |
| India VIX stays near 16 or eases | Option sellers are comfortable and big moves are less likely |
| Brent crude falls below $110 | One of the pressure points on the market eases |
| Sensex slips below 73,007.83 | Bears keep control and the Sensex expiry today stays weak |
My reading is that the odds of a full recovery by 3:30 pm look modest, because the index is below its 20-day average, call open interest is higher than put open interest and foreign selling has been heavy in October. That is not a forecast. A bounce toward the 73,530 to 73,710 band is possible if crude eases and buyers return, and the max pain level of 73,600 sits inside that band, so the Sensex expiry today could pin near it by late afternoon. The India VIX reading of 16.14 shows the market is nervous but not panicking.
How the Sensex Weekly Expiry Works
| Sensex weekly expiry: feature | How it works |
|---|---|
| Settlement | Cash settled in rupees, so no shares change hands when the Sensex weekly expiry arrives |
| Exercise style | European style, meaning an option can be exercised only at expiry |
| Time value | Option premium loses time value as expiry nears, which is why prices can collapse in the last hours |
| Put call ratio | Put open interest divided by call open interest; 79,490,460 divided by 86,105,100 gives 0.92 (my calculation) |
| Max pain | A derived figure from open interest at each strike, not an official level |
A Sensex weekly expiry settles against the final index value, so the last few minutes matter more than the morning. The Sensex put call ratio and the Sensex max pain figure are only summaries of positioning, and positioning changes during the day as traders square off and roll positions. Use them as context and never as the only reason for a trade.
Expiry Day Risks Behind the Sensex Expiry Today
On expiry day, option premiums suffer time decay very quickly, so a buyer of an out-of-the-money option can lose the whole premium within hours, and a seller can face large losses if the index moves sharply against the position. Bid-ask spreads can widen and implied volatility can jump, which makes pricing unpredictable. SEBI studies have found that most individual traders in equity derivatives lose money, so position size matters more than any prediction. The Sensex expiry today is one more reason to avoid trading with money you cannot afford to lose.
What to Watch Next on Sensex Expiry Today
- Whether the Sensex holds the 73,007.83 day low through the morning
- The live put call ratio against 0.92 and any shift in the 73,300 strike open interest
- The 73,530 and 73,709.69 levels for a bullish turn
- Brent crude against $110 and daily foreign flows
- The 29 Oct expiry, where the pricing page snapshot shows max pain at 74,000
Conclusion
The Sensex expiry today is a Thursday weekly expiry at 3:30 pm IST, with a lot of 20 units, an at-the-money strike of 73,300, a live put call ratio of 0.92 and max pain near 73,600 in a snapshot. Bulls need to reclaim about 73,530 and 73,709.69 to turn the tone, but crude, foreign selling and call open interest argue for caution. Check live data and keep position size small.
Disclaimer: Data and figures in this article are sourced from publicly available information. These may or may not be accurate. Please verify all data with the official NSE (nseindia.com) and BSE (bseindia.com) websites before making any investment decision. Investments in securities are subject to market risk. This content is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice by Univest (SEBI RA INH000013776).
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Sensex expiry today happen?
Ans. BSE weekly Sensex options expire on Thursday at 3:30 pm IST, so the Sensex expiry today is 22 Oct 2026 at that time. The monthly contract expires on the last Thursday of the month.
What is the lot size for Sensex expiry today?
Ans. The Sensex lot size is 20 units. At a futures price of 73,525.95, one lot is worth about Rs 14.71 lakh in notional terms, based on a pricing page snapshot. Margin needs are separate and depend on the broker.
What is the Sensex put call ratio on Sensex expiry today?
Ans. My live pull from 9:15 to 10:17 am shows 0.92, with about 8.61 crore units of call open interest and 7.95 crore of put open interest. A pricing page snapshot shows 0.54, but I could not date it, so rely on live data.
What is Sensex max pain for the Sensex expiry today?
Ans. A pricing page snapshot shows max pain at 73,600 for 22 Oct and 74,000 for 29 Oct. Max pain is the strike where option buyers would lose most, and the index does not have to settle there.
Can bulls stage a comeback on Sensex expiry today?
Ans. They need the Sensex to reclaim about 73,530, its 20-day average, and then the 73,709.69 previous close. Crude above $110 and foreign selling make that harder, and my reference levels are not forecasts.
Why is the Sensex down before expiry today?
Ans. The index is down for a third session because of Brent crude above $110, foreign selling in October and weak breadth with earnings misses in some shares. Global markets rose overnight, so the causes look local.
Is it safe to trade Sensex expiry today?
Ans. Expiry day is high risk because premiums decay quickly and prices can swing. SEBI studies have found most individual derivatives traders lose money, so keep size small and use only money you can afford to lose.
Is this article investment advice?
Ans. No. It is educational and not a recommendation to buy or sell. Please check the figures against company filings and your own risk profile before you act on anything you read here.
