Thursday, July 9, 2009

Oil Volatility Index ($OVX)



It's been about one year now that the Oil Volatility Index has been out. Below is a portion of a CNBC report and an annotated chart I've posted.

An Oil VIX above 50, for instance, doesn't merely represent the threat of a move higher, but rather indicates that traders are concerned about unpredictable moves either way. At the same time, the Oil VIX has been a somewhat less reliable predictor considering it is barely a year old and lacks the history to establish reliable benchmarks.

"There's risk in both directions," said one oil trader at the CBOE who asked not to be named. "I think what it is measuring is there's a growing amount of bimodal thinking on this."

Yet the Oil VIX is about half its level from December, also indicating that traders believe the worst of the volatility has passed and that trading is more likely now to find a range.
Read full CNBC Report at this link


*click on chart to expand image

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