Dark pools are private off-exchange venues where institutions move large blocks without revealing their hand. When a $50M block prints in a dark pool, someone knows something. Flow Antenna captures every large print and scores it.
Dark pools are legally registered alternative trading systems where institutional investors execute large trades without displaying the order publicly. About 40% of all U.S. equity volume now trades in dark pools. While trades are eventually reported to FINRA, they appear after execution — giving institutions a size advantage. When a dark pool print is large, timed with options flow, and on a ticker where congress is also buying, that triple-source convergence is Flow Antenna's highest-conviction signal type.
Dark pool trades are reported post-execution through FINRA's Trade Reporting Facility. Flow Antenna monitors FINRA OTC print data and flags block trades above our size threshold.
We score on: notional size, direction (ask-side vs bid-side), timing relative to options flow, and whether the same ticker appears in congressional or insider filings simultaneously.
The most powerful signals fire when a dark pool block aligns with unusual options activity and/or a congressional trade — scoring 85–97/100 and triggering CRITICAL alerts.
Institutions don't hide size unless they need to. A hedge fund executing a $100M position in a dark pool doesn't want to move the market against themselves — meaning they're building a position they believe is worth protecting. Flow Antenna's detector cross-references every large print with options flow and congressional disclosures. When three independent data sources point at the same ticker on the same day, the probability of a major move increases dramatically.
Flow Antenna monitors all 535 congressional disclosures 24/7. When a new filing hits, we score it instantly and send you an alert with our conviction rating and Quinn AI analysis.
Free plan includes congressional trades · No credit card required
Yes, eventually. Dark pool trades are reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting Facility and become public, though after a delay. Flow Antenna monitors FINRA OTC print data as it appears.
We look at whether the print happened closer to the ask (bullish — paying up for stock) or the bid (bearish — selling into bids), and cross-reference same-day options flow.
We track prints above $500K notional. Prints above $5M receive higher scores. The largest prints ($50M+) on illiquid names are our most reliable leading indicators.
Dark pools are legal, heavily regulated, and used daily by the biggest institutions. Here's how they work, why institutions use them, and what the footprint looks like.
More signal types: Insider Trading · Options Flow · Congress Trades