Why We Need the LONGVOL & SHORTVOL Indexes

This post discusses how the LONGVOL and SHORTVOL indexes work, but starts with some historical background that illuminates why these new indexes were needed.   Two new leveraged volatility Exchange Traded Funds from Volatility Shares, -1X SVIX and 2X UVIX started trading on the 30th of March, 2022. SVIX and UVIX utilize two new Cboe indexes, the Short VIX Futures Index (ticker: SHORTVOL) and the …

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Short Volatility on a Roll

Investors betting on the next volatility spike have taken a beating. The last time the CBOE’s VIX® index closed above 30 was December 8th, 2011.  In the 16 months since the split adjusted price of Barclays’ VXX has dropped from 174.84 to 20.34—an 88% drop.  None of the 14 other USA based volatility funds that are designed to rise with volatility increases did well, the best …

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Inverse Volatility—the Winner is SVIX

I used to share stock tips with my brothers-in-law. Before the tech crash I could offer up a few stocks I liked, and they would often make some money.  The crash painfully ended the easy money and I moved on to index funds. They didn’t think indexes were near as much fun. One Easter one of my brothers-in-law asked what I was investing in.   …

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