Golden sweeps, with a real track record
The most aggressive footprint in the tape — swept across exchanges, paying up for urgency.
A golden sweep is an order large and urgent enough to sweep multiple exchanges and pay the offer. It's the closest thing options flow has to a conviction tell. TickerDesk flags them intraday, confirms them against next-day open interest, and grades the cohort so you know how this signal type has actually performed.
These are the honest aggregate numbers — a near-coin-flip baseline. The edge lives in specific cohorts, and we publish where it doesn't work too.
What makes a sweep 'golden'
- Multi-exchange execution — filled across venues in a hurry.
- Aggressor paying the ask — urgency, not patience.
- Size relative to the contract's normal liquidity.
Then the honest part
Golden sweeps are a real cohort in our edge attribution, tracked against SPY across horizons. You see the win rate and expected value, not just the alert.
Frequently asked
Are golden sweeps bullish?
Direction depends on whether calls or puts are being swept and where price is. The scanner shows the premium tilt; the graded cohort shows how it has paid.
How fast do I see them?
Within the 15-minute-delayed scan cadence, six times per market day.
Every signal referenced is logged and graded against real closes; see the transparency page for the full self-graded track record.