Quaker Chemical Corporation (KWR) 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.
Quaker Chemical Corporation (KWR) operates in the Basic Materials sector, specifically the Chemicals - Specialty industry, with a market capitalization near $2.47B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 4,400 people, carrying a beta of 1.42 to the broader market. Quaker Chemical Corporation develops, produces, and markets various formulated chemical specialty products for a range of heavy industrial and manufacturing applications. Led by Joseph A. Berquist, public since 1980-03-17.
Snapshot as of May 13, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $141.43
- Max Pain Strike
- $145.00
- Total OI
- 476
As of May 13, 2026, Quaker Chemical Corporation (KWR) max pain sits at $145.00, which is above the current spot price of $141.43 (2.5% away). Spot sits 2.5% 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. KWR trades in the standard mid-price band (spot $141.43), 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 (476 contracts), so single-strike pinning is less reliable than it is for high-OI names. KWR is currently in positive dealer gamma ($75.0K), the regime that mechanically reinforces pinning by inducing dealers to buy weakness and sell strength near heavy-OI strikes. 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.
KWR Strategy Implications at the Current Max Pain Level
With spot 2.5% from the $145.00 max-pain level and Quaker Chemical Corporation in a positive-gamma regime, where dealer hedging mechanically pulls spot toward heavy-OI strikes, 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 KWR max pain analysis questions
- What is the current KWR max pain strike?
- As of May 13, 2026, Quaker Chemical Corporation (KWR) max pain sits at $145.00, which is 2.5% above the current spot price of $141.43. 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 2.5% 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 KWR pin to its max pain strike at expiration?
- KWR is currently in positive dealer gamma, the regime that mechanically reinforces pinning. Dealers hedging long-gamma books buy weakness and sell strength near high-OI strikes, which pulls spot toward those levels into expiration. Total open interest across KWR (476 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 KWR 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 KWR 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. KWR put/call OI ratio is 0.53 - call-heavy, which biases the max-pain calculation toward strikes above current spot when the call OI concentrates there.