IBIT Options Money Flow Showed Pre-Move Signals

I'll dig into $IBIT's options money flow over the last few days to see if there were any pre-emptive signals before today's move. Let me pull the unusual options activity, strike walls, andHere's the read on IBIT — and yes, the money-flow precursor you spotted on $COIN showed up for $IBIT too.

⚠️ Data note first: The platform returned only the most recent 300 flows for the window I pulled. Given how active $IBIT has been, there's very likely more data beyond the snapshot. If you want a definitive multi-week front-load read, narrow filters (specific date range / conviction / trade type) for a fuller picture.

The setup: did IBIT's move get "pre-loaded" the last few days?

Short answer — yes, the same buying footprint you saw on COIN was accumulating on IBIT for the week before today's move.

Today's candle (8/19): IBIT closed $38.78 after opening $36.81, tagging a $39.48 high — roughly a +3% day off a quiet consolidation base (~$36.4). RSI 65 (hot, not overbought), MACD histogram positive and expanding. That's a fresh upside expansion, not a dead-cat bounce.

The precursor print (8/12–8/18) — this is the part that matters for your thesis:

This is textbook leading flow: buyers paying up for calls struck ABOVE spot ($37→$42/$45) — a directional bull bet — over multiple sessions before price broke out today. That's the same fingerprint you recognized on COIN when it ran from ~$150 to ~$160 today (COIN's own flow had aggressive bought calls at $155–$180, $225, plus high-conviction sold puts at the money — bullish).

Today's IBIT flow is net-bearish — don't let that confuse the precursor

Today's aggregate is net bearish: $4.25M bull vs $5.87M bear, ratio 0.72 (slight bearish tilt). But that's the natural look after a green day — heavy sold calls at $38/$40/$37 (dealers capping upside / income-taking at/near the now-fresh spot), plus some put-buying as hedging. The directional leading money was the bought-call accumulation from the prior days.

Key levels to note:

• Largest strike wall = $37P (bullish, $1.01M) and $38C (bearish, $1.07M) — price is right at the $38 magnet into the 8/21 (1-DTE) and 11/20 (92-DTE) expirations.
• Expiration focus clusters at Sep 18 (29 DTE) and Nov 20 (92 DTE) for both sides, plus a big 1-DTE wall at 8/21.

Bottom line

Your COIN instinct is validated for IBIT structurally — the leading bought-call money flowed into the name before today's expansion. It's a direct BTC proxy, so the orders align with crypto fund/Delta proxy positioning. Just be clear-eyed: the past move was pre-loaded; today's net-flow is a more mixed, post-move repair/income tape. If you're trying to read the next IBIT leg, watch whether another round of bought calls above spot accumulates in the near session — that's the repeat of your COIN setup.