Stocks & Commodities V. 32:8 (47): Futures For You by Carley Garner
Product Description
Futures For You by Carley Garner
THE FEAR FACTOR
What do I need to know about VIX futures before getting involved in trading them?
VIX futures — that is, futures on the CBOE Volatility Index — are tradable instruments intended to measure, and enable speculation on, expectations of future volatility. Because the VIX value is derived from the implied volatility (the portion of an option price attributed to expectations of future volatility) in S&P options, it is commonly referred to as the fear index.
Although in most contexts, volatility can mean violent price swings in either direction; when it comes to the VIX index, the term volatility is synonymous with selling pressure in the equity markets. Accordingly, in general, as the S&P goes up, the VIX goes down, and vice versa.
In essence, VIX futures give speculators an opportunity to directly trade human emotions, specifically, fear and complacency. In most circumstances, I would argue that trading VIX futures is probably something that should be avoided due to certain characteristics of the contract (which I’ll discuss later). However, heading into the summer of 2014 with the VIX trading at annual lows and near all-time-lows as I write this, these are solid arguments for at least giving it some thought.
Nonetheless, there are some aspects of the VIX futures market that traders should be aware of before risking their trading capital.
THE FEAR FACTOR
What do I need to know about VIX futures before getting involved in trading them?
VIX futures — that is, futures on the CBOE Volatility Index — are tradable instruments intended to measure, and enable speculation on, expectations of future volatility. Because the VIX value is derived from the implied volatility (the portion of an option price attributed to expectations of future volatility) in S&P options, it is commonly referred to as the fear index.
Although in most contexts, volatility can mean violent price swings in either direction; when it comes to the VIX index, the term volatility is synonymous with selling pressure in the equity markets. Accordingly, in general, as the S&P goes up, the VIX goes down, and vice versa.
In essence, VIX futures give speculators an opportunity to directly trade human emotions, specifically, fear and complacency. In most circumstances, I would argue that trading VIX futures is probably something that should be avoided due to certain characteristics of the contract (which I’ll discuss later). However, heading into the summer of 2014 with the VIX trading at annual lows and near all-time-lows as I write this, these are solid arguments for at least giving it some thought.
Nonetheless, there are some aspects of the VIX futures market that traders should be aware of before risking their trading capital.
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