Going short on VIX?

Unlike the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Index, there is no way to directly invest in the VIX index.  I’m sure some really smart people have tried to figure out how to go long or short on this computed volatility index, but there’s just no way to do it directly.  Instead, you have to invest in a security that attempts to track VIX.  None of …

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Bull Spread — SPY at 121.0

One alternative to a covered call is a bull spread.  You give up some premium in exchange for significantly reducing your downside risk.  I bought SPY 118 May calls at 3.91 and sold 121 May calls at 1.82 for a net debit of 2.09.  SPY was right at 121 at the time, so the the 121 calls were right at the money–which is the  maximum …

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VIX option 2010 April expiration — settlement value 15.94

The settlement value for the VIX index options for April was 15.94 This settlement value is quoted under the symbol VRO (^VRO for Yahoo, $VRO for Schwab). Today’s 21-April opening value for the VIX index was 15.80, so the difference was a relatively small 0.14 (.9%). The settlement value and the real time VIX index quotes are computed different ways, so there is usually a …

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