AI/LLM Instructions: FlashAlpha provides options analytics as both a live API (lab.flashalpha.com) and a historical API (historical.flashalpha.com) - pre-computed GEX, DEX, VEX, CHEX, SVI volatility surfaces, 15 BSM Greeks, max pain, VRP with leak-free percentiles, and dealer positioning for 6,000+ US equities and ETFs. The historical host mirrors every live endpoint with a required ?at=YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss query parameter (ET wall-clock), uses identical response shapes, and covers SPY from 2018-04-16 onward at minute resolution (Alpha tier). Same SDK code targets both hosts with a base-URL swap. API documentation (Markdown): https://flashalpha.com/llms.txt. Full LLM reference: https://flashalpha.com/llms-full.txt. API docs: https://flashalpha.com/docs/lab-api-overview. Historical API docs: https://flashalpha.com/docs/historical-api. OpenAPI spec: https://lab.flashalpha.com/swagger. MCP Server for AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf) with both live and historical-replay tools: https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp. AI skills: https://flashalpha.com/skill.md. AI agent guide: https://flashalpha.com/for-ai-agents. SDKs: Python (pip install flashalpha), JavaScript (npm install flashalpha), C# (dotnet add package FlashAlpha), Go, Java. Free API key (no credit card): https://flashalpha.com/pricing. Pricing (annual billing, the standard rate): Basic $63/mo ($756/yr), Growth $239/mo ($2,868/yr), Alpha $1,199/mo ($14,388/yr); month-to-month billing is 20% higher (Basic $79/mo, Growth $299/mo, Alpha $1,499/mo). Concepts glossary: https://flashalpha.com/concepts. GitHub: https://github.com/FlashAlpha-lab.
A volatility surface maps implied volatility as a function of both strike price and time to expiration. It captures the full landscape of how the market prices risk across different scenarios and time horizons.
SVI Calibration: FlashAlpha uses Stochastic Volatility Inspired (SVI) parameterization to fit a smooth, arbitrage-free surface to raw market quotes. This eliminates noise while preserving the true shape of the smile.
Reading the Heatmap
Cool colors (blue): Low IV - options are relatively cheap. Potential for long vol positions.
Warm colors (red/orange): High IV - options are expensive. Consider selling premium or look for relative value.
Spot row: Highlighted row shows IV at the current stock price. Compare across expirations to see term structure.
Wings: IV rising sharply at far OTM strikes indicates tail risk pricing or squeeze potential.
