iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX)

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:) The Weekly Options News Roundup

* March 26, 2017

Beware of the Swan

The term “Black Swan” is used to describe an unexpected event of large magnitude and consequence. The CBOE Skew Index (SKEW) is often used to gauge the likelihood of a black swan-type event occurring. Calculated from weighted strips of out-of-the money S&P 500 options, the SKEW Index typically rises to higher levels as investors become more fearful of such an event. The value of SKEW increases with the expected tail risk of S&P 500 returns. Recently, the SKEW Index hit an all-new record high of 154.34 indicating a possible shift in investor sentiment. If there were no tail risk expectations, SKEW values would normally close around the 100-range.

For more information, visit www.cboe.com/skew.

“The ‘Crash Protection’ Index is Sending a Warning Flare for the Market – or Not” – Alex Rosenberg, CBNC
http://cnb.cx/2o53t0B

“How to Play Microsoft through a Covered Call” – Kevin Kelly, Bloomberg Television
http://bloom.bg/2nQAamu

“A Popular Stock-Market ‘Black Swan’ Gauge is at a Record” – Mark DeCambre, Market Watch
http://on.mktw.net/2mQl7nR

Brexit’s 50/50 Effect

On Wednesday, Bats Europe, a CBOE company, announced the launch of two new indices – the Bats Brexit High 50 and Bats Brexit Low 50 - that are designed to measure the impact of Brexit on UK companies. The two indices are designed to act as barometers for assessing how Brexit is impacting companies with higher and lower revenue exposures to the UK.

For more information, view the press release.

“Bats Europe Launches Brexit Benchmarks” – Merle Crichton, FOW
http://bit.ly/2mUDBo8

VIX Fix: Prescribed Volatility

The delay to this week’s Congressional vote on a healthcare replacement bill created even more uncertainty in the market, causing the “Trump Rally” to lose some stream and placing the health of the 8-year bull market in squarely in question. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) saw its steepest single-day decline since September, falling 237.85 to close at 20,668.01. After closing below the 13 level for 54 consecutive sessions, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), hit a 2017 high on Thursday, closing at 13.07, its highest close of the year. So as investors adopt a ‘wait and see” approach on market direction, investors’ prescriptions for volatility might be getting filled.

“Volatility May Be Low, But VIX Trading is All the Rage” – Ben Eisen and Gunjan Banerji, The Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/2nwbkHz

“Always a Change of Storms with Volatility” – Russell Rhoads, ETF.com
http://bit.ly/2nneTzE

“The VIX Signal Flashing for the First Time in a Decade” – Karee Venema, Schaeffer’s Investment Research
http://bit.ly/2nJC1tk

http://www.cboe.com/blogs/options-hub/2017/03/26/the-weekly-options-news-roundup-3-26-2017

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