Yes, that is true, but the jockeying to determining the field of play (the strike price) for that game, which is then played between the call and the put owners and sellers, often starts much earlier in the month. If there is a tendency or preference as to playing field I want to know as early as I can so I can position myself accordingly.
Most trading softwares have a top 10 Class, Series, Single based on volume. Independently, PC Quote/Hyperfeed have that feature I believe.
This market feels heavy, but I want to note that two of the TradingMarkets VIX signals fired long as of yesterday's close, and I believe another one will fire tonight. When you get multiple VIX signals firing, it is normally a high probability situation. Observing the VIX chart versus the SPX shows that current levels have been good entry points for swing trades in the past, except for the drop last August/Sep.
I have to leave for the day around 3 est so I'm setting my stops on my current positions that I'm taking home overnight. I plan on closing MERQ out today.