Market Perspective

How Can Investors Benefit from Rich Volatility Risk Premium?

S&P 500® Index option buyers continued to overpay by an above-average amount based on the unusually high Volatility Risk Premium (VRP) that has persisted during the equity ...
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Volatility Is Where You Find It

Is equity market volatility high or low? The answer to that question depends on where you look. Realized volatility in July, based on the annualized ...
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Taking Stock at Mid-Year—What Can Investors Rely On?

Despite concerns over inflation, Federal Reserve policy, imbalances in labor and raw materials markets and COVID-19 variants, the S&P 500® Index advanced 15.25% over the first ...
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Volatility Pricing Indicates Market Expectations of a Rougher Ride Ahead

The nearly 4% pullback of the S&P 500® Index in early May was small by historical standards, but it was enough to push implied volatility to ...
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A Multidimensional Volatility Environment

Is implied volatility low? Like a circle that reveals itself to be a cylinder when you shift your perspective, it depends on how you look ...
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The Alternative to “There is No Alternative”

The S&P 500® Index returned a staggering 56.35% for the 12-month period ending March 31 while the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the Agg) returned ...
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A Closer Look at Bond Market Performance

After posting strong returns in 2019 and 2020, inflation concerns have driven the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the Agg) to a loss of ...
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Familiar Factors Present as the VIX® Nears Record Run

Despite new all-time highs for the S&P 500® Index in January, the Cboe® Volatility Index (the VIX®) remained above 20 throughout the month and extended its streak ...
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Will Volatility Risk Premium Remain Attractive in 2021?

Market conditions reflected an unusual mix of resilience and anxiety as 2020 came to a close. The equity market advanced in November and December despite ...
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Lower, not Low: An Examination of Recent Implied Volatility

Implied volatility levels plummeted in November. With election uncertainty in the rearview mirror and news of significant progress on COVID-19 vaccines, the Cboe® Volatility Index (the ...
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