Stockchase Opinions

Hap (Robert) Sneddon FCSI CBOE Volatility Index VIX-I SELL Apr 04, 2025

It's another indicator that tells us about nervousness by sensing volatility. If you own the VIX, this is probably a really good time to sell. It's right at the peak that we saw last August.

It's a background thing, not a way to perfect timing. Tells you the neighbourhood you're in, but doesn't tell you what to do. You can look at these moves in terms of standard deviations, and how far away from the average we are. Moves of 2 or 3 don't sound big, but they're actually quite big in terms of deviation from the average.

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COMMENT

Putting a butterfly spread on the VIX? This spread is sometimes called the Iron Condor, and you are putting the spread on in 4 different ways. Unless you are a very, very sophisticated option trader, you might as well set your money on fire and throw it in the air. You are going to be eaten alive by the market makers.

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Correction with the trade war. How to hedge investments at this time. This is way too difficult to answer in 30 seconds.

COMMENT
This is why people find options are confusing. Stocks deal with total return. Volatility is risk, and that’s the options world. Predicting the volatility is as important as predicting earnings. The VIX hasn’t risen dramatically recently, even though it’s around 20%.
DON'T BUY
Could this be a good strategy to hedge with out selling and triggering capital gains? These are more like day trading instruments. They are built based off a future strategy. they lose value the longer you hold them. The safest move is to own cash as a hedge.
COMMENT
It's not for everybody. There's a risk that volatility will spike. He's been playing the VXX in the US, a volatility ETF. You have to keep an eye on it. You protect the upside by holding something that does better in a down market.
DON'T BUY
Momentum is strong with low rates. If markets continue to drift higher, the VIX will stay dead. Investors are waiting for volatility.
DON'T BUY
Need to be a rocket scientist to be able to effectively use volatility ETFs to profit and hedge in a portfolio. Good for short term trading but it is terrible for long term holds. The timing needs to be perfect.
COMMENT
From day to day, it will be very choppy. Volatility is telling him we are in a bear market. Not down 20% yet, but over the next 6 months, we will see the US stock market below 20% its peak. Canadian market is a different situation with exposure to energy and commodities. Won't see such a large correction. However, TSX didn't get as much of the upside.
RISKY
The VIX.

It is a great hedge against the market dropping. But your precision on trading vehicles that have forward-based pricing (like futures contracts), means you have to be a rocket scientist to understand how volatility works in order to use them effectively.