Gamma exposure · Index

NDX gamma exposure levels

NDX is the cash index behind the Nasdaq-100 — the institutional counterpart to QQQ and the underlying that NQ futures track. Its gamma structure leads the tech complex on big AI and semiconductor days.

This page explains how to read NDX's gamma structure. It shows no live numbers — the live map lives in the indicator. Educational context only, not a signal.

Why NDX's gamma matters.

NDX options carry the heavy index hedging, so its gamma flip and walls often move before QQQ's retail-driven levels react. Reading NDX against QQQ shows where index desks and the retail crowd agree — and where they don't, which is where the sharper moves tend to start.

The NDX levels that matter.

Every gamma map is built from a few dealer-positioning levels. On NDX they read like this.

Call wall

The ceiling

The strike with the heaviest call gamma above spot. Dealers hedge hard there, so it often caps rallies until it breaks.

Put wall

The floor

The strike with the heaviest put gamma below spot. It often supports dips while dealer hedging holds.

Gamma flip

The regime line

Where net dealer gamma crosses zero. Above it hedging dampens moves; below it hedging amplifies them.

Vol trigger

Zero-gamma level

The price where dealers flip from long to short gamma — near the flip, it marks where volatility can pick up.

Max pain

Expiry gravity

The strike that minimises total option-holder payout at expiry — a reference into monthly expiration.

Focus strikes

Concentration

The high-concentration strikes between the walls where hedging clusters and price often reacts.

How to read them.

Start with the gamma flip: it tells you which regime NDX is in. When price is accepted above it, dealers are usually long gamma and the tape dampens — tighter ranges, rotation around the levels. When price is below it, dealers lean short gamma and moves amplify — faster, trend-prone sessions. Then read the call wall above and put wall below as the edges dealers hedge hardest.

The levels are a snapshot of positioning, so they go stale as the chain changes through the day — the indicator refreshes them each session. And they are context on how NDX is likely to behave, never an instruction to trade. To learn the mechanics, read how to read dealer positioning and what gamma exposure is.

NDX gamma — questions traders ask.

Is NDX gamma different from QQQ gamma?

They track the same index but are traded by different participants and settle differently, so their walls can sit apart once put on the same scale. The strongest read comes from overlaying both — agreement strengthens a level, disagreement flags a gap.

Is this a buy or sell signal?

No. Gamma-exposure levels describe where option dealers hold concentrated hedging pressure — they are context on how a session is likely to behave, not a recommendation to buy or sell and not a prediction of direction. Educational and informational only; trading involves substantial risk of loss.

Where do the live levels come from?

The GEX Levels indicator computes them from the live options chain and draws them on your chart — call wall, put wall, gamma flip, vol trigger and more, refreshed each session. This page explains the concept; the live map lives in the indicator.

See the live NDX map.

The concept is free to read. The live NDX levels — call wall, put wall, gamma flip, the regime and more, refreshed every session — are built into the GEX Levels indicator. The free Morning Map shows the prior session's index levels each day.

Related: QQQ gamma levels · NQ gamma levels · SPX gamma levels · NVDA gamma levels · all tickers