Free delayed VIX option quotes are available from: CBOE (Symbol VIX, enter symbol in quote field on left side of the page), check “list all options” radio button and submit Yahoo provides VIX index quotes (symbol ^VIX) and options quotes. The VIX option symbols listed in the CBOE option chains have an “-e” at the end. This indicates they have a European style exercise. Unlike typical …
In February I created a 2010 trendline based on the behavior of the market in 2004, using the market bottom in early February 2010 as the anchor. Looking at the chart below, the 2010 trendline predicts a bottom of this correction will be SPY at 105. We’ll see. Of course people are concerned about a double dip in the market, but the macro-market factors are …
Bought VIX June puts at 4.6, the VIX index was around 31 at the time. Barring another bear market I think we will see the VIX pull back from the recent spikes. For related posts see: How to go long on the VIX index How to go short on the VIX index
This last weekend the option symbol transition coordinated by The Options Clearing Corporation completed, with the last set of symbols, starting with underlying symbols of S through Z, switched over to the new system. In almost all cases the 3 to 5 letter underlying symbol now works as the option identifier. I think the new system is a real improvement. I wish …
When updating the chart below, where the price and normalized volume of SPY from 2003/2004 intertwines with the SPY of 2009/2010, I noticed one area of consistent difference between the two time spans—volatility. Using the VIX index as a proxy for actual volatility, the ’09 / ’10 values have averaged about 40% higher than the ’03 / ’04 bull market. On the slight …
