iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) Max Pain Analysis

Max pain is the strike price where aggregate option buyer payout is minimized at expiration. It represents the price at which option writers retain the most premium.

iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, with a market capitalization near $31.88B, listed on NASDAQ, carrying a beta of 1.16 to the broader market. The iShares Core S&P U. public since 2000-07-28.

Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.

Spot Price

$187.06

Max Pain Strike

$195.00

Total OI

271

As of May 15, 2026, iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) max pain sits at $195.00, which is above the current spot price of $187.06 (4.2% away). Spot sits 4.2% above max pain - close enough that a routine end-of-cycle gamma roll could pull price toward the level, but far enough that catalyst-driven flow would dominate. IUSG trades in the standard mid-price band (spot $187.06), with listed strikes typically $1-$5 apart and balanced single-leg vs multi-leg flow. Total open interest across the listed chain is comparatively thin (271 contracts), so single-strike pinning is less reliable than it is for high-OI names. IUSG is currently in negative dealer gamma (-$63.1K), a regime that amplifies directional moves rather than damping them, weakening the pin-toward-max-pain bias. Max pain identifies the strike at which the aggregate dollar value of all outstanding options contracts would expire with the least total intrinsic value, a gravitational reference rather than a price target.

IUSG Strategy Implications at the Current Max Pain Level

With spot 4.2% from the $195.00 max-pain level and iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF in a negative-gamma regime, where dealer hedging amplifies directional moves and weakens any pin, strategy selection turns on cycle position and dealer positioning. Iron condors and credit spreads centered near the max-pain strike capture the typical end-of-cycle convergence when the regime supports pinning; ratio backspreads or directional debit structures fit names where catalyst flow is likely to overwhelm the hedging-driven pull. The gamma-exposure page shows the per-strike dealer book that determines whether hedging will reinforce or fight the pin.

Learn how max pain is reported and how to read the data →

Frequently asked IUSG max pain analysis questions

What is the current IUSG max pain strike?

As of May 15, 2026, iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) max pain sits at $195.00, which is 4.2% above the current spot price of $187.06. Max pain identifies the strike at which aggregate option-buyer payouts at expiration are minimized; it is a gravitational reference, not a price target. A 4.2% gap is close enough that a routine end-of-cycle gamma roll could pull spot toward the level, but far enough that catalyst-driven flow typically dominates.

Does IUSG pin to its max pain strike at expiration?

IUSG is currently in negative dealer gamma, a regime that amplifies directional moves rather than damping them. The pin-toward-max-pain bias weakens here because dealer hedging adds momentum rather than mean reversion. Total open interest across IUSG (271 contracts) is one input to how plausible a clean pin is - heavier total OI concentrated at fewer strikes raises the probability; thin OI spread across many strikes lowers it. Pinning is strongest in heavily-traded names with large open-interest concentrations at high-OI strikes during the final week of an OPEX cycle. Whether IUSG actually pins on a given expiration depends on the OI distribution, the dealer-gamma sign, and the absence of catalyst-driven moves that overwhelm hedging-driven flow.

How is IUSG max pain calculated?

Max pain is computed by summing the dollar value of all in-the-money options at each candidate settlement strike across listed expirations, then selecting the strike that minimizes total intrinsic-value payout to option buyers. The calculation uses the full open-interest distribution and weighs both calls and puts. IUSG put/call OI ratio is 1.19 - balanced, so the max-pain calculation reflects the strike where the call and put OI distributions cross rather than a single dominant side.