Expiring contracts

Calendar List of Expiring Stock Options 2026

A stock itself does not expire. What expires is a listed option contract on a stock or ETF. This page converts the high-volume expiring-stocks query into a ticker-first 2026 options workflow.

Direct answer

Contracts expire

Stocks continue trading; listed option contracts expire by ticker, date, type, and strike.

Core tickers

SPY, QQQ, AAPL, NVDA, TSLA

Start with liquid underlyings, then fetch listed expirations for each one.

2026 monthly anchor

Third Friday

June 2026 is holiday-adjusted to Thursday, June 18.

Popular expiring stock option underlyings for 2026

Use this as a starting list for ticker-specific expiration discovery. The calendar anchor is shared, but listed weekly and long-dated expirations vary by ticker.

TickerUnderlyingTypeHow to use it
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF TrustETF optionsHigh-liquidity ETF with weekly, monthly, quarterly, and LEAPS demand.
QQQInvesco QQQ TrustETF optionsNASDAQ-100 ETF options with common weekly and monthly expiration searches.
AAPLApple Inc.Single-stock optionsUse listed-date discovery for exact-date and non-standard date checks.
NVDANVIDIA Corp.Single-stock optionsHigh-interest single-name where May and June 2026 searches are already visible in GSC.
TSLATesla Inc.Single-stock optionsActive options underlying where weekly availability should be fetched, not assumed.
IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETFETF optionsUseful ETF proxy for small-cap options and index-adjacent workflows.
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFETF optionsRate-sensitive ETF options where expiration windows often support macro studies.

2026 standard monthly expiration anchors

These monthly anchors apply broadly to equity and ETF options, but they are not a substitute for ticker-specific listed-expiration discovery.

MonthDateCycleNote
JanuaryFriday, January 16, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
FebruaryFriday, February 20, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
MarchFriday, March 20, 2026QuarterlyQuarterly OpEx month
AprilFriday, April 17, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
MayFriday, May 15, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
JuneThursday, June 18, 2026QuarterlyMoved from June 19, 2026 for a market holiday
JulyFriday, July 17, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
AugustFriday, August 21, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
SeptemberFriday, September 18, 2026QuarterlyQuarterly OpEx month
OctoberFriday, October 16, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
NovemberFriday, November 20, 2026MonthlyStandard monthly OpEx
DecemberFriday, December 18, 2026QuarterlyQuarterly OpEx month

Implementation

Build an expiring-options list from listed data

A reliable expiring-options list starts with the underlying universe, then queries listed expirations for each ticker. After discovery, classify dates as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or long-dated and only then request contracts, chains, quotes, trades, snapshots, or aggregate bars.

curl "https://api.cutemarkets.com/v1/tickers/expirations/SPY/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

curl "https://api.cutemarkets.com/v1/tickers/expirations/NVDA/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

curl "https://api.cutemarkets.com/v1/options/contracts/?underlying_ticker=SPY&expiration_date=2026-05-15&limit=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Last verified

Date-sensitive calendar references on this page were checked on April 28, 2026. Calendar math is useful for planning, but listed contracts and exchange calendars should still be verified before production workflows run.

Expiring stock options FAQ

What is a list of expiring stocks in 2026?

Stocks themselves do not expire. A useful 2026 expiring-stocks list is really a list of popular underlyings with listed option contracts that expire on specific dates.

Which tickers should I check first?

Start with liquid ETF and single-stock options such as SPY, QQQ, AAPL, NVDA, TSLA, IWM, and TLT, then fetch listed expirations for each ticker.

Can every ticker use the same expiration calendar?

No. Many tickers share monthly anchors, but the actual weekly, non-standard, and long-dated listed expirations vary by underlying.

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