Volatility Views 324: Volatility Weapon of Choice

Volatility Review: A look back at the week from a volatility perspective

• Non-farms come in lower than expected
• Unemployment drops to 3.7%, the lowest since 1969
• Bitcoin vol falls to lowest levels this year
• VIX up 4.3 from last week
• VVIX up 19 from last week
• VXX nearly unchanged from last week

Volatility Voicemail: Volatility Flash Poll

What is your weapon of choice when trading volatility? VIX VXX SPX SPY

• VIX
• VXX
• SPY/ SPX options
• Other

Listener questions and comments:

• Comment from Martin Ryan - TVIX, UVXY, SVXY.I've given you three good alternatives (one an inverse). There is nothing little about either TVIX or UVXY - both have good liquidity, tight spreads and good trading price action. The VIX imploded, but the aforementioned are doing well as effective alternatives to options.
• Comment from Ryan - ETF - SQQQ
• Question from Alacor - Like the show. Tried my hand at crystal ball. Not good. Heard you talk about straddle runs in SPX. Are there any products that package hedged ATM straddles as a product? Maybe they offer to delta hedge as well?
• Question from Telly0 - Are there any long VIX vehicles that don't erode to zero?
• Question from T Dog - Is it better to only take the short volatility trades and ignore the long volatility trades?
• Question from one0761 - Are we in the midst of a major correction.

Crystal Ball: Wild and reckless prognostication

Last week:

• Mark L. - 11.75
• Mark S. - 12.15
• Bill - 13

This week:

• Mark L. - 12.55
• Andrew - 13.25