Understanding VIX values
Volatility is a measure of the movement of an asset’s price, rather than the price of the asset. When you trade volatility, you aren’t focused on the direction of change, but on how much and how frequently the market has moved. This is why VIX values are quoted as percentage points.
For the past several years, if the VIX was trading below 20 then the market was considered to be in a period of stability, while levels of 30 or more indicated high volatility. Still, remember, trading volatility is not trading a market downturn, as it is possible for the market to decline but volatility remain low.
There is a strong negative correlation between the VIX and stock market returns. If the VIX moves up, it is likely that the S&P 500 is falling in price. If the volatility index declines, then the S&P 500 is likely to be experiencing stability. The VIX is thought to predict tops and bottoms in the SPX. There is even a mantra that states: ‘when the VIX is high, it’s time to buy. When the VIX is low, look out below’.
When you trade the VIX, you aren’t trading an asset directly because there is no physical asset to buy or sell. Instead, with us, you can use CFDs to take a position on the movement of the VIX, as well as VIX futures and exchange traded funds (ETFs).
On our side, we price our cash Volatility Index (VIX) contracts in a different way to the rest of our cash index markets. Rather than aiming to replicate the underlying index price, we follow the method used to derive our undated commodity prices. This means that there is a difference between our undated price and the underlying index price on these markets.
