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VIX CBOE Volatility Index

Sniper Trading System EXPLAINEDIf you do not have a system that's calibrated to the code that's generated on the 1 sec time frame you will always find yourself guessing and never really KNOWING. My System is calibrated down to the 1 second time frame where the money aka code is generated. What I discovered is: if you can find the KEY to the Daily bias you have a considerable EDGE in the market. I found that key and it is found in the 12AM Candle. This candle lets a Sniper Know where the raid will go before the main move aka Trend of the day. In this trade on NAS 100 ( my system works on everything) the 12 AM told me that the raid would be Bullish after 1AM. So we anticipate the short during one of our Clearing House Times - when the algorithm seeks Liquidity aka Raids your Stops. Today we got the drop at 8:30am EST. 1st TP SMACKED. 2nd TP KISSED as of now and headed to target. The VIX is due for a rebound so NAS100 may continue to fall this week.
OANDA:NAS100USDShort
by Master-Jedi-Trader
Guide to VVIX/VIX Ratio Regimes and Corresponding Investment StrMarket volatility and its expected future changes, as indicated by the VVIX/VIX ratio, can greatly impact investment decision-making. The following guide provides insights into different regimes of this ratio, their implications on market conditions, potential sector rotations, and additional investment strategies that investors might consider. High Ratio (High VVIX, Low VIX): In this regime, apparent calmness belies underlying uncertainty about future volatility. This suggests a potential underestimation of future risks. Sector Rotation: A strategic shift towards defensive sectors—Consumer Staples, Utilities, and Healthcare—can help. These sectors are often resilient during uncertain times due to consistent demand for their services and products. Options Strategies: Look at strategies like long straddles or long strangles. These profit when the underlying security experiences a significant price move, regardless of the direction. Risk Parity: Adjust your portfolio by distributing risk evenly across different asset classes rather than allocating based on expected returns. Bond Laddering: This involves buying bonds that mature at different times. It provides regular income and reduces the risk of being locked into a low-interest-rate environment. Low Ratio (Low VVIX, High VIX): In this regime, high current market volatility is expected to continue, signaling turbulent times ahead. Sector Rotation: Defensive sectors, including Utilities and Consumer Staples, provide stability during turbulent times. For those with high risk tolerance and a long-term perspective, cyclical sectors like Technology, Consumer Discretionary, or Industrials could present buying opportunities. Volatility Trading: Consider securities that are designed to track volatility, such as VIX futures, options, or volatility-focused ETFs and ETNs. Dollar-Cost Averaging: This strategy involves investing a fixed dollar amount in a particular investment on a regular schedule, regardless of the asset's price. Over time, this can result in a lower average cost per share. Distressed Assets: Market turbulence often results in some assets being undervalued or "distressed." Savvy investors may find bargains in this space. Stable or Mid-Range Ratio: A moderate level of expected market volatility signals a stable market environment. Sector Rotation: Investors might consider cyclical sectors—Technology, Industrials, and Consumer Discretionary—that are likely to benefit from economic growth. Buy and Hold: This strategy involves buying stocks or other assets and holding them for a long period. It is based on the belief that in the long term, financial markets provide a good rate of return despite periods of volatility. Growth Investing: This strategy involves investing in companies expected to grow at an above-average rate compared to other companies. Momentum Trading: This involves buying securities trending up and selling those trending down. Stability can enhance the predictability of these trends. Understanding the nuances of the VVIX/VIX ratio and its implications on market conditions can help investors align their strategies with market volatility regimes. Whether rotating sectors or applying different investment strategies, it's important to remember that all strategies carry risk and must align with individual investment goals, risk tolerance, and market outlooks. As always, it's important to consider a variety of market indicators and economic factors before making investment decisions. This guide serves as a stepping stone towards informed investment decision-making during different market volatility regimes.
VEducation
by kesor6
3
CPI, DXY, VIX Down. Stocks Up! Blowoff Top Underway!Traders, The big news this week was that inflation is now just under 3 percent! This is hugely bullish as any further certainty as to what actions the FED will take in the future only aids in investing confidence. Along with this news, we will cover the dollar decline, VIX 2-year low levels, and stocks beginning to break out even further, confirming my long-held blowoff top theory. 00:00 - CPI, FED rates, Unemployment Rate, DXY, VIX 10:00 - Bitcoin and Crypto
AMEX:SPYLong
by stewdamus
2
VIX - The 72-Handle PreludeI will reiterate again, as I have in my past posts, notably: Nasdaq NQ - A Fundamental and Technical Warning Signal That if you are bullish on US equities into the future and want to see a healthy economy into '24 and '25, you DO NOT want to see a new all time high to be set yet. Instead, you want a correction. A major correction is just that: a correction. A correction gives a number of elements an opportunity to rebalance and reload so that a new phase of markup, and thus profits for longs, can unfold. The VIX controls a lot of things, namely the price of options. Really, what this means for most people is it controls the price of "protection," i.e. puts. And since the VIX is now trading at a low not seen since June of '21 and in an area of accumulation that spanned 3 years between '18 and '20, if you think a new all time high on equities is coming, you're actually saying that VIX is going to trade to 5. And you may very well be right. It's a very difficult situation. However, net liquidity is coming out of the system, and the indexes and equities rallied from mid-June to mid-August of last year. The algorithm rarely runs the same pattern at the same time twice. Moreover, there's a lot of problems brewing in this world with the War in Ukraine connected to Vladimir Putin and the situation in mainland China with Xi Jinping still at the helm of the notorious and unforgivable Chinese Communist Party. There are handles a major arranged correction in the markets are not going to print on VIX. 1. VIX will not print GFC highs 2. VIX will not print the millennial-titled "Coronavirus Disease 2019" highs 3. VIX will not print 50-handles Instead, VIX, in my opinion, will print a 72-handle. One of the truths in the market place is the easiest and most consistent money is not only that the market goes up, but selling volatility after the dust on periodical propaganda has settled is free money. A free money train always continues and you're never a part of it because you're trying to long MULN and Bed Bloodbath and Beyond for a MOASS. So, let's take a look at the ETFs. There are some notable pieces of evidence in the price action that show something ought to change, and quickly. The first is in the SVXY inverse VIX ETF, which has taken out the pre-COVID high, and by a lot. LT short seller funds: they dead. But a more notable case is that of the UVIX 2x leveraged bull ETF It was 5:1 reverse split to start the year, had one bounce during the bank collapse hysteria, and then lost 80% of its value. UVIX trades under $1 pre-split. You're looking for a MOASS on shitcoins, but here's a real opportunity. Notable is also that HUV, the Toronto Stock Exchange VIX (non-levered bull) ETF, is in a similar boat. It 6:1 reverse split in February, had one bounce, and lost half its value, trading to barely over $3 pre-split. You can care about Canada because there are arbitrage opportunities with the USDCAD currency pair and because our holidays and your holidays are not the same, like "Juneteenth," and so there is opportunity in manipulation. What I can say is that there's an argument, if nothing else, to long volatility in extreme situations as a way of defending your long positions. People are willing to allocate 40 percent of their portfolio to bonds that just don't go up when the market pumps and don't go up when the market goes down. So why not hedge with volatility? That being said, if Nasdaq goes to 9,000 points, are you really willing to hold your $400 NVDIA? Humans never believe in what they don't see. They only believe after they've been shown, and then it's too late. What I truly hope for everyone who has a kind heart is not only that you can preserve your money through the chaos and manipulation, but walk out of the machinations stronger, better, healthier, and with a bright future. For this, and only this, is what you have waited for.
TVC:VIXLong
by LordWrymouth
4
Bye Bye U.S. Dollar. I would cry, but we have BTC now!Traders, Drop it like it's hot! The U.S. dollar ain't waistin' no more time up here. Pending confirmation on the daily, the Head and Shoulders pattern will be in play. As long as the VIX stays low, stocks should follow the blow-off top price action that I have been preaching about for over a year now. If you'd like to know when the dollar reaches it's target down and stocks reach their peak stay tuned here over the next several months and we'll attempt to chart this all out together! Best, Stew
TVC:DXYShort
by stewdamus
Dollar EXACTLY on Target as Predicted!Traders, It is always amazing to see properly researched TA play out as it indicates it will. In this case, the target seems to be following precisely the previously drawn arrows. Now, we will be testing that neckline on our H&S pattern again. My expectation is that we may incur another slight bounce there before finally breaking our long-held strong support, that neckline. Continued pause by the FED could help the dollar incur this crash. Inflation will be on and the stocks will continue the blow-off top I have been predicting for over a year! Take advantage of this dollar weakness for the intermediate time because once the dollar disintegrates to a certain point of future unknown weakness, the market will absorb the gravity of our economic predicament and could turn down, dropping fast and hard. We have some time before the latter occurs in my view (if it occurs) but only so much. Remain alert or follow me and I will attempt to keep you all up to date on the broader economic outlooks from the charts. Remember, this all helps us to make better trades in both the stock market and in crypto! Best, Stew SPY Chart
TVC:DXYShort
by stewdamus
Crude Oil - Bearish On Oil? Saudis Made The US Cover Its Short.I've had a number of successful calls on crude oil, which you can find in my post history. In those calls, I had always been bearish on oil, anticipating a run to a 4-handle. However, I reassessed my prior assumptions when the MMs took out the Low Of The Year in quick order to start May. I haven't been particularly sure in the time that has passed, but between price action and some recent news, I now believe oil is set to reverse. The situation in mainland China with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party is very tense. The pandemic has taken a huge toll on the country, which the Party is not reporting to the world, and you can tell this if you look at their obviously bogus COVID death and infection stats published on major data aggregators. This matters because since Putin invaded Ukraine last year, there's become something of an alliance between the Saudis, Russia, China, and India, with many oil transactions no longer settling in the U.S. Petrodollar. So you have to be really careful trading right now with the geopolitical situation at hand. Everyone has flipped bullish on equities and is expecting a new parabolic run, but the situation is just as prime for a sharp and dramatic turnaround, which I reference in my recent call on the SPY ETF: SPY - It's Life or Death For Bears When it comes to China, Xi has the looming threat of having inherited Jiang Zemin and the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, which targeted 100 million people and has even harvested their organs. Xi and the CCP also face the growing trend of the movement to return to China's traditional 5,000 year culture, which is the crown jewel, the magnum opus, of the whole world and all of human history. So the most important country in the world is very unstable, and you aren't hearing anything about what is going on. But the controllers know something is wrong and are scurrying about frantically, thinking about how they can take your stuff on the way down. So, my bearishness on oil has been based on the fact that the Biden Administration has drained the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, significant because although OPEC+ is a huge producer of oil, the US and its vassals, such as Canada, by far produce the most oil in the world. Washington selling the SPR is a short on the market by definition and they unloaded hard in the 90s and 80s, saying they wanted to buy back in the 60s. Yet the two times we've had oil in the 60s, they haven't rebought. I believe they intended to drive the market lower for longer and rebuy then. A few recent pieces of news came out. One is OPEC had a scheduled meeting in Vienna in early June, which they held in person, despite the next major meeting being in July. During that meeting, Reuters, WSJ, and Bloomberg found themselves disinvited, while every other media did not. Moreover, on Friday The Washington Post stated that Saudi King MBS warned the Biden Administration it would inflict economic pain when the US complained about production cuts. The Saudis have teeth because they own Aramco, which is also stationed in the United States, and the Saudis buy arms from the military industrial complex. NATO and the US needs to have the Saudis not wanting to get rid of them if they are to have any chance of deposing Putin and taking Russia for the New World Order. It's been well known that OPEC+, of which the Saudis are the biggest producer by far, want higher prices and need $80-100 to continue to run a national surplus. The second biggest news is a June 9 announcement from the Department of Energy stating the US will replenish 6 million barrels of oil from the SPR. This means Washington is covering its shorts. Now, you'll complain, fairly so, that the Democratic Socialists of America have sold some 280 million barrels of oil from the SPR since Biden was inaugurated in 2021, and you're right. 6 million barrels is certainly a drop compared to what they've sold. However, a look at the EIA website puts the 6 million barrel figure into perspective: since November of '22, only 20 million barrels have been drained. I will repeat myself again: the market maker is covering its shorts and that means it's very immediately dangerous to be short on oil and oil companies. So, this is hard to go long on because the delta between $70 and the $63 low is 10%, and on futures at $1,000 PnL per $1 move per lot, that's a lot of "Ouching" as Abdulaziz has said for early comers. However, generally speaking a bottom is a bottom and that means there won't be a new low. Either way, it's up to you to figure out where to go long and when to go long and if you want to go long. The most immediate target, even in an ultimately bearish continuation scenario, is $85, and more specifically, $95. And you may very well see a 9 handle as early as August or September. The problem with short on oil is on the monthly: COVID hysteria was an ultimate bottom. If -$40 wasn't an ultimate bottom then you call your mom and ask her what an ultimate bottom could be and let us know in the comments. If you've got an ultimate bottom and no real highs were taken, the the market is aiming higher, and not lower. A breakdown of price here means that oil as an industry is not going to recover, but yet green energy is a fallacy and alternative energy sources are nowhere to be found, while worldwide crude supply is actually not particularly abundant anymore. So what fundamental story is supposed to be used to drive oil lower? A bunch of talking heads on Twitter complaining that oil is going lower? That doesn't move markets. Producers have to deposit actual oil to go bigly short because contracts settle in physical goods. Moreover, the price action in March before the big move down in May was really, really peculiar. You see it more clearly on the weekly: Like, $2 away from a breakaway gap is where it chose to dump and actually set a new low of the year? Really, to me, this says that since we haven't dumped anymore and now we're getting fundamentally extremely, extremely bullish news, that the target can only be $95. People, for whatever reason, tend to like to buy above highs and so they'll get bullish at $85 and $95. But why not get bullish at $70? Warren Buffet keeps buying OXY. Is he doing this because oil is on the verge of another 5 year bear market? If oil is going to pump, what does this mean for equities? What does it mean for the VIX? With what's going on in the world, what does it mean for the future? How long will the happy continue? It's really worth giving some sober thought to, and it's really worth cutting the furus and the propaganda outlets out of your information cycle.
NYMEX:CL1!Long
by LordWrymouth
10
VIX 2008 Repeat VolatilitySee the illustration traced from the 2008 volatility spike leading into the GFC. As it can be seen visually, the similarities are present. The news cycle appears to be dominated by a similar set of events, including the collapse of the 2020's version of Bernie Madoff, SBF. I doubt the volatility will play out in a continuous fashion, as the Fed as new tools to their disposal. I expect some difference in the delay or outcome, but not a significant one.
TVC:VIXLong
by rwoods187
1
UVXY Greed Fear Volatility 20% in 24 hoursUVXY trades inverse to the general market direction in a leveraged manner. An example of this is shown on the current chart 15 minutes time frame of the price action this week. I have added two indicators the buy low sell high composite and price volume trend to support entries and exits which are typically done on lower time frame charts. On the chart, if a long trade was taken when the BLSH indicator went from red to green on Wednesday afternoon and was held for about 22 hours until price peaked coincident with both the BLSH indicator and the PVT both peaking, the trade would have closed with 20% realized profit. Overall, I will watch UVXY as a means to trade any further downturn in the general market.
AMEX:UVXYLong
by AwesomeAvani
Accumulation of VIX to lead to a spike within the next week I'm back with yet another of my VIX bowl action posts. There's so much going on around the globe that could trigger a spike. Markets are seeing negative RSI divergence across many indices on monthly, weekly and daily charts. This time we could go even higher and reach the resistance above. But I'm being conservative in my target and aiming at the diagonal trend line. I've linked my previous VIX bowl post that was extremely successful. Good luck!
CBOE:VIXLong
by SkyTrees
5
VIX is back to the pre-2020 market crash levelsIn early June 2023, we noted that VIX reached levels that preceded the 2022 market meltdown. After that, the index continued lower and advanced toward levels unseen since January 2020 (levels that preceded the 2020 market crash). The current low value of VIX reflects extremely high complacency in the market and the growing dismissal of any economic downturn on the horizon. With many people already thinking that recession is averted and the market is poised to continue only up, we wonder whether the time for contrarian play is slowly approaching us. As a result, we will monitor the market very closely and look for signs that will prompt us to action. We will update our thoughts on the subject with the emergence of new significant developments. Please feel free to express your ideas and thoughts in the comment section. DISCLAIMER: This analysis is not intended to encourage any buying or selling of any particular securities. Furthermore, it should not be a basis for taking any trade action by an individual investor. Therefore, your own due diligence is highly advised before entering a trade.
TVC:VIXLong
by Tradersweekly
4
What is the $VIX showing us?Good Morning SMALL THREAD While we did call the NASDAQ:NDX weakness & top, at that time we didn't think it would be as bad as it got, at least I didn't. Last year we really thought TVC:VIX would break out & the markets would collapse. Our original expectations didn't pan out but we, mostly I, changed as more data came in. We called a bunch of bounces & tops, ALL DOCUMENTED, BUT our best call was becoming BULLISH in late September on DJ:DJI & Bullish on NASDAQ:NDX in October. Since then we've been cautious Bull with a few bearish calls but ultimately, we were/are still bullish. During this time the TVC:VIX was forming a HUGE Symmetrical Triangle that we posted on countless times. We were biased and thought the TVC:VIX would break out and #stocks would be cremated. Obviously, were bullish after Sept 2022 but we thought there would be an eventual harsh crash that made 2022 like a walk in the park. When #VIX broke down we were SHOCKED! That's when we knew that the can was being kicked further down the road. There's a lot more at play that we've been discussing on occasion. SP:SPX has been on a tear but it is currently in a consolidation phase as seen on a daily chart. However, as you can see, RSI can remain overbought on a weekly for long periods of time. TVC:VIX is slowly closing in on a major support level. While it can break through, IMO, don't think it will do it the 1st time. #VIX will likely get a nice bounce. This bounce will likely be strong and could mean possible weakness for #stocks, soon.
CBOE:VIX
by ROYAL_OAK_INC
Observing VIXNow a lot of people are posting long ideas that it will blow up. I am framing this idea as neutral. Since we have a contradiction. Consider. 1. The Heikin Ashi weekly candle is consolidating by breaking through a bullish wedge. Yes, it is definitely a very reversal pattern. 2. Two small Kumo clouds (both red and green) are floating over candles. Their size tells us that we don't have much resistance at this level. The Tenkan and Kijun lines are below the clouds, but that's not that important in this situation. What is more important is that the indicator is drawing us a declining red Kumo cloud and we can't tell if it will progress down further. Sometimes these "little red cloud, little green cloud, expanding bigger red cloud" constructions are a very implicit threat. We don't know how much its lower boundary will drop before it marks its end...And note again, this is a weekly chart, not some 4 hour chart...We'll have to watch all spring to see what happens. 3. Next. SQZMOM shows descending red bars and two gray crosses, which we have not seen for a long time. This does not augur well for the upside. In fact, on the weekly Heikin Ashi grey crosses were 3 years ago... Only with green bars and they worked out in full... SQZMOM tells us about weak growth prospects of the VIX. 4. However, we see a hidden bullish divergence on Stochastic RSI. This comes into contradiction with point 3. 5. I also looked at the latitude indication which indicates that the highs have started to dominate the lows. This is a bullish sign. But it is also inconsistent with points 2 and 3. We'll just have to watch to see. 32.4 level is extremely important.
TVC:VIX
by averkie_skila
7
VIX/VIX3M: Tricks for Reading the VIX Part IIPRIMARY CHART: S&P 500 (SPX) with VIX/VIX3M ratio in subgraph on a weekly time frame Tricks for Reading the VIX Part I SquishTrade's original 2022 article on VIX entitled "Tricks for Reading the VIX" covered the basic concepts of the CBOE's Volatility Index (VIX) to aid in understanding and interpreting VIX and its behavior relative to the S&P 500 ( SP:SPX ). It also explained generally how VIX values are derived, reviewed a few historical examples, and identified the historical mean (20 VIX) as well as some outliers. Furthermore, the original piece delved into the usual inverse relationship between VIX and SPX. But in its later sections, it explained how divergences from this usual inverse relationship between VIX and SPX may distinguish lasting market bottoms from interim trading lows. If interested, the following link provides the original article on VIX. A couple of points from this original article on VIX may be beneficial to readers who are less familiar with VIX. VIX is a measure of implied volatility for SPX derived from the pricing of a wide range of options prices with approximately 30 days to expiration. Specifically, only SPX options with more than 23 days and less than 37 days to expiration are included. CBOE introduced the VIX in 1993 to measure the options market's expectation of implied volatility from at-the-money SPX index options (where strikes of the options are at or very close to where the underlying index price is trading). But ten years later (2003), CBOE updated the VIX formula to track not only at-the-money options, but a wide range of SPX options focusing now on out-of-the-money strikes. CBOE's website contains a helpful FAQ on VIX here . A relevant excerpt with more detail on how VIX is calculated is available in a footnote (FN 1) at the end of this post. The last two concepts for this introduction are important. SPX implied volatility, which is what VIX is intended to measure, and realized volatility should be distinguished as they are not the same. And VIX index values tend toward mean-reversion in the long term rather than trending action. But trends within VIX can nevertheless be identified within the broader context of its mean-reverting character. SPY_Master has an excellent chart covering a recent VIX trend shown as Supplementary Chart A: Supplementary Chart A VIX/VIX3M: Tricks for Reading the VIX Part II In this sequel to the original post, SquishTrade will cover the VIX/VIX3M ratio. To understand this ratio, it is important to understand basic concepts about VIX, its interpretation, and its inverse relationship as well as excepts to that relationship, which topics are covered in the prior article or elsewhere on trustworthy financial websites including CBOE's. VIX3M Basics Furthermore, VIX3M is vital to understanding the VIX/VIX3M ratio. VIX3M is essentially a 3-month forward implied volatility index for SPX. CBOE's brief description of VIX3M index follows: "The Cboe 3-Month Volatility IndexSM (VIX3M) is designed to be a constant measure of 3-month implied volatility of the S&P 500® (SPX) Index options. (On September 18, 2017 the ticker symbol for the Cboe 3-Month Volatility Index was changed from “VXV” to “VIX3M”).The VIX3M Index has tended to be less volatile than the Cboe Volatility Index® (VIX®), which measures one-month implied volatility. Using the VIX3M and VIX indexes together provides useful insight into the term structure of S&P 500 (SPX) option implied volatility." The term-structure of implied volatility (IV) means the relationship, or comparison, between different implied-volatility measures based on different terms (time periods) for measuring implied volatility such as a one-month period, three-month period, six-month period, or one-year period. Term structure can be also understood by remembering that this term is used to describe the yield curve, varying interest rates on risk-free government bonds (same type of security) with different maturities ranging from short term to long term. In short, the ratio of VIX/VIX3M allows insight into the shorter end of the IV term structure by allowing investors and traders to see both the 30-day (one-month) and the 90-day (three-month) outlook for expected volatility for SPX based on its index options premiums. VIX and VIX3M Comparison VIX3M and VIX can be distinguished based on the time frame as discussed in the prior paragraphs. One is a constant measure of approximately 30-day IV for SPX, and the other is a constant measure of approximately 3-month IV for SPX. VIX3M tends to have higher values than VIX. This is because VIX3M considers longer-dated option prices than VIX considers. The exception occurs at significant SPX lows, including interm trading lows both in bull-market retracements and in bear markets, and in more lasting bear-market lows. VIX tends to be more volatile than VIX3M. This is true even though VIX3M tends to have slightly higher values. The final point of comparison between VIX and VIX3M is that two indices are highly correlated as one might expect. This can be seen from placing them both on a chart together. Try placing them both on a chart together in TradingView, which may help some visualize and remember the close relationship between VIX and VIX3M by working with the symbols themselves. It's relatively easy to do in a couple steps. Load a chart of VIX. Then click the plus symbol next to the ticker symbol on the left upper corner of the TradingView chart screen, ad then add VIX3M to the chart. Be sure to click "New Price Scale" option when selecting VIX3M as the new symbol to be compared. VIX/VIX3M Ratio Interpretation The Primary Chart above shows the VIX/VIX3M ratio over the past six years of market history. This ratio is included in the subgraph below the SPX price chart. This chart uses a weekly time frame to ensure the data can be viewed over several years with ease. Notice how peaks in this ratio correlate to some extent with lows in SPX. Interestingly, peaks were higher in the left half of the chart between 2018 and 2020. Peaks in the current bear market have been lower relative to prior peaks in this ratio. Many peaks have been labeled on the Primary Chart for ease of reference. As discussed, VIX3M tends to have higher values than VIX. This is because VIX3M considers longer-dated option prices than VIX considers. To understand the VIX/VIX3M ratio, it helps to focus on the exception to the general rule that VIX3M tends to have higher values than VIX. The exception occurs typically when an SPX selloff causes a spike higher in VIX relative to VIX3M. Why does VIX spike higher on a relative basis, causing the ratio to rise above 1.00 / 1.10? When short-term panic occurs in markets around trading lows (or final lows as well), VIX outperforms VIX3M because VIX focuses on 30-day IV and VIX3M focuses on 90-day IV (longer-term on the IV term structure). This causes the term structure to invert briefly when VIX rises above VIX3M (which is the same as VIX3M trading at a discount to VIX). When VIX spikes above VIX3M even briefly, it shows that the market expects IV farther out on the term structure at three months to be lower than current implied volatility levels. In plain English, this means the market expects volatility to fall in several months relative to current 30-day forward levels (based on SPX options prices 23 to 37 days until expiration). And when the IV term structure normalizes as it always does after an inversion, meaning that short-term vol is lower than longer-term vol generally, this means that VIX has to fall relative to VIX3M. And remember that when VIX falls, SPX rises given the usual inverse relationship between the two. Don't forget that exceptions to this usual inverse relationship occur when VIX and SPX move in tandem, and such aberrations in the normal VIX-SPX relationship are crucial to notice as discussed in the original 2022 article on VIX. Finally, here is a chart showing a close-up view of the bear market starting in January 2022 with VIX/VIX3M shown simultaneously. The highs in this ratio were lower than prior highs at market lows over the prior decade or two. Highs have been approximately 1.05 to 1.11. Does this mean vol sellers are more opportunistic and effective? Or does it mean that we haven't seen a capitulatory low? Either way, it helps to see the current bear market levels. Enjoy! Supplementary Chart B Please see footnote 2 (FN 2) for this section on interpreting VIX/VIX3M. FOOTNOTES FN 1 Note that the formula is complicated and most likely accessible only to those still in higher-level math concentrations in their education, or those working continuously in a math field. The rest of us who have seen a few years pass since our math education must rely on the detailed verbal explanation of the formula. The formula, moreover, is unnecessary to reading and interpreting VIX values, trends, and mean reversion. CBOE's FAQ on VIX, linked above, contains the following helpful and detailed information about how the VIX Index is calculated: "Cboe Options Exchange® (Cboe Options®) calculates the VIX Index using standard SPX options and weekly SPX options that are listed for trading on Cboe Options. Standard SPX options expire on the third Friday of each month and weekly SPX options expire on all other Fridays. Only SPX options with Friday expirations are used to calculate the VIX Index.* Only SPX options with more than 23 days and less than 37 days to the Friday SPX expiration are used to calculate the VIX Index. These SPX options are then weighted to yield a constant maturity 30-day measure of the expected volatility of the S&P 500 Index. Cboe Options lists SPX options that expire on days other than Fridays. Non-Friday SPX expirations are not used to calculate the VIX Index. Intraday VIX Index values are based on snapshots of SPX option bid/ask quotes every 15 seconds and are intended to provide an indication of the fair market price of expected volatility at particular points in time. As such, these VIX Index values are often referred to as "indicative" or "spot" values. Cboe Options currently calculates VIX Index spot values between 3:15 a.m. ET and 9:15 a.m. ET (Cboe GTH session), and between 9:30 a.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET (Cboe RTH session) according to the VIX Index formula that is set forth in the White Paper." FN 2 The source for some of the key concepts in this section was a January 2018 article on CBOE's website blog on the VIX / Trader Talk, and the article referenced was "Vol 411 Follow Up: More on the VIX3M / VIX Ratio." This article appears to no longer be available. ________________________________________ Author's Comment: Thank you for reviewing this post and considering its charts and analysis. The author welcomes comments, discussion and debate (respectfully presented) in the comment section. Shared charts are especially helpful to support any opposing or alternative view. This article is intended to present an unbiased, technical view of the security or tradable risk asset discussed. Please note further that this technical-analysis viewpoint is short-term in nature. This is not a trade recommendation but a technical-analysis overview and commentary with levels to watch for the near term. This technical-analysis viewpoint could change at a moment's notice should price move beyond a level of invalidation. Further, proper risk-management techniques are vital to trading success. And countertrend or mean-reversion trading, e.g., trading a rally in a bear market, is lower probability and is tricky and challenging even for the most experienced traders. DISCLAIMER: This post contains commentary published solely for educational and informational purposes. This post's content (and any content available through links in this post) and its views do not constitute financial advice or an investment or trading recommendation, and they do not account for readers' personal financial circumstances, or their investing or trading objectives, time frame, and risk tolerance. Readers should perform their own due diligence, and consult a qualified financial adviser or other investment / financial professional before entering any trade, investment or other transaction. Thank you for reading. If this post added clarity or prompted additional thoughts on the technicals of SPY, please comment below!
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