Retail options trading has become an important force in today's financial markets, particularly with the rapid growth of short-dated options trading. As a result, researchers have increasingly focused on understanding retail trading behavior. A previous study we discussed found that retail traders tend to buy short-dated options, especially out-of-the-money contracts, while frequently selling long-dated options.
Along this line of research, Reference [1] examines retail trading behavior in SPX 0DTE options. The authors utilize transaction-level OPRA data for SPX/SPXW options from May 19, 2022, to January 31, 2026, primarily from CBOE. They pointed out,
This paper documents a new and economically important feature of retail participation in options markets: synchronization driven by algorithmic execution. In the market for SPX 0DTE options, retail trading is not only large but highly structured in time, strategy, and execution. The resulting intraday patterns are sharp, stable, and predictable, and they differ qualitatively from the behavior emphasized in much of the existing retail trading literature.
Our central empirical finding is a pronounced intraday periodicity in SPX 0DTE trading activity. Trading volume and trade counts spike at fixed clock times, with bursts arriving abruptly at the second level and dissipating quickly thereafter. These patterns intensify over time and are overwhelmingly concentrated in complex, ultra-short-maturity option strategies. Simple trades and longer-dated options display little comparable periodicity.
We show that these spikes are associated with a distinct composition of trades. At deterministic times, trading shifts toward small, complex, short-premium strategies with standardized geometry.. . The evidence suggests that many independent traders deploy similar strategy templates and timing rules supplied or encouraged by retail-facing fintech platforms.
In short, the paper finds that,
- Trade counts and volume spike sharply at exact hour and half-hour marks, including 10:00, 10:30, 13:00, 13:30, and 14:00;
- Activity jumps almost instantaneously and largely dissipates within 30–60 seconds;
- The spikes are concentrated in 0DTE contracts and driven by complex multi-leg orders;
- The dominant strategies are short put verticals, short call verticals, and short iron condors, rather than long-call lottery bets.
The authors interpret these findings as evidence that fintech platforms, APIs, no-code bots, templates, defaults, and margin constraints synchronize otherwise independent retail accounts.
The paper also emphasizes the importance of incorporating retail order flow into market analysis, given its growing influence on market dynamics,
Taken together, the evidence suggests that the rise of retail algorithmic trading represents a structural change in options markets. As retail traders increasingly operate through rules and templates, understanding market behavior requires attention not only to trader characteristics but also to the technological and institutional features that govern how trades are generated and executed.
It is interesting to note that, while previous research found that retail traders tend to buy short-dated options, this paper points in the opposite direction: retail traders tend to sell options, but only at specific times during the trading day.
Let us know what you think in the comments below or in the discussion forum.
References
[1] Garcia-Ares, P. A., Amaya, D., Pearson, N. D., & Vasquez, A. (2026), The rise of algorithmic retail option traders, SSRN 6480379
Article Source Here: Retail Participation in the 0DTE Options Market
source https://harbourfronts.com/retail-participation-0dte-options-market/