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MRK$144.62 +2.01%+ Alert
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● 10 Oct · US closed · scored 15:46
● Sat 10 Oct 2026/US closed · opens Mon 14:30 BST/262 names scored today/last score 19:34 BSTResearch, not advice · every call is published at Proof

MRK

Merck & Co Inc
$144.62 · +2.01% vs $141.77 close · scored 15:46 · stale
Decision brief
BULLISH · 76/100
What changed
Composite strengthened 4.7 points.
Evidence is stale — treat this read cautiously.
What would change the view
composite falls below +15 · confidence deteriorates materially from 76/100
For the read
options volume favours calls · open interest agrees with the read · signal has been stable · evidence confidence is high
Against / uncertainty
No material contradiction isolated.
The read
Strongly bullish, well evidenced, but it’s confirming price rather than calling it.
−100 bearish0bullish +100
+57.9 composite┆ +53.2 yesterday (+4.7)+1.4 vs a week ago
Evidence
76 / 100 · top 6% today
10,484 contracts · quality 89 · stability 0.85
hasn’t paid −1.64% · n=25,061
01

Why it’s +58

Method
What traded today · weight 62%
+46.5 pts
9,175 calls · 87.5%1,309 puts
bias +75.0 × 0.62
What’s on the books · weight 38%
+11.4 pts
65,017 call OI · 64.9%35,106 put OI
bias +29.9 × 0.38
Equals
+57.9
80% of the score comes from today’s volume, 20% from open interest. Disagree with either? See the method.
02

What changed: 43 days of tape against price

14d43d90d365d · Reader
tape composite (bars)— price◆ big one-day moves30d: price −4.51% · tape +37.2 · corr -0.23
● peak +74◆ −59.6 in a day▼ low +6.708-2709-0309-1009-1709-2410-0110-09$152$142

Plain English: Over 30 days, price has fallen 4.51% while the tape has firmed 37.2 points. The two are drifting apart.

03

Should you trust it?

pass
Plenty behind it
confidence 76 (94th pct) · quality 89 · 10,484 contracts
pass
Stable
0.85 vs 7-day rolling · choppiness 21
against
This kind of read hasn’t paid
strongly bullish · call-heavy · mid liquidity → −1.64% avg, n=25,061
note
Tape is confirming, not predicting
price has led MRK’s tape by 1 day (r=-0.23, n=51)
note
Stretched vs its own history
today’s tape sits high relative to price
against
Our record on MRK is poor
12% hit rate on 1450 closed calls · payoff 2.57×
04

Where the positions sit

calls tradedstrikeputs traded
$155
$152.5
$150
$149
$148
$147
$146
$145
$144
$143
$142
$141
$140
$139
$138
$137
$136
$135
$134
Spot $144.62 highlighted. The $165 strike holds the most open interest (the “wall”, 15,152). Near-dated expiry in the mix, so OI is noisier.
05

Our record on MRK

Proof
12%
hit rate · 1450 closed
2.57×
payoff
+0.14%
avg return
9 Oct · 4h
$144.62 → $144.62
+0.00%flat
9 Oct · 4h
$142.38 → $144.62
+1.57%hit
9 Oct · 4h
$142.38 → $144.62
+1.57%hit
9 Oct · 4h
$142.38 → $144.62
+1.57%hit

One rule everywhere: a move of 0.05% or less is flat, and flat is not a hit. That is the same rule Proof uses; 1100 of these 1450 calls were flat.

06

Catalysts & context

EPS surprise · last 4 quarters
+13.06%Q3 ’25
+2.98%Q4 ’25
+16.00%Q1 ’26
+52.33%Q2 ’26
Street Buy-leaningNext report — P/E 110.68 · fwd 19.63Beta 0.117 52w $82.01–$156.92IV rank —
Merck & Co Inc · Pharmaceuticals
Strongly bullish, well evidenced. It’s confirming price rather than calling it.
−100 bearish0bullish +100
+57.9┆ +53.2 ydayevidence 76
hasn’t paid −1.64% · n=25,061
Why it’s +58
+46.5 volume · 88% calls+11.4 OI · 65% calls
43 days · tape bars, price line
◆ −59.608-2709-0309-1009-1709-2410-0110-09$152$142
Price −4.51%, tape +37.2 over 30 days. The two are drifting apart.
Should you trust it?
passPlenty behind it
confidence 76 (94th pct) · quality 89 · 10,484 contracts
passStable
0.85 vs 7-day rolling · choppiness 21
againstThis kind of read hasn’t paid
strongly bullish · call-heavy · mid liquidity → −1.64% avg, n=25,061
noteTape is confirming, not predicting
price has led MRK’s tape by 1 day (r=-0.23, n=51)
Ask about MRK
Why did the score rise from +50 to +58 this week?
It was mostly one day. The composite was +6.7 on 8 Oct, then rose to +57.9 on 9 Oct as the price moved from $142.79 to $141.77. It’s at +57.9 now.

Today’s +57.9 breaks down as +46.5 from volume and +11.4 from open interest. I can’t split past days the same way: the stored history keeps call/put volume but not open interest for past days.
tape_history · 52 ptsstock_scores · 15:46method · 62/38
Ask
Explain the $165 wallCompare MRK vs ALMSAlert me before earnings