(Check out Carter’s worthcharting.com for actionable recommendations and live nightly videos.) The “vol crush” is complete, with the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) now back down to a level that prevailed just before the stock market’s sell-off got underway on February 19 (Tuesday, February 19 th was the day the S & P 500 Index registered its all-time high). A volatility crush is a sudden and sharp decrease in implied volatility – which is the market’s expectation of future volatility, leading to a corresponding drop in the prices of options contracts. This typically happens after an event that initially caused a spike in volatility, such as the announcement of prospective aggressive tariffs. As seen in the chart below, the “vol crush” leaves the VIX Index back down “to the penny” to the uptrend line in effect the past 6 months. Our thinking here and now is to anticipate a bounce in the VIX in the day/days ahead — and a corresponding dip in the S & P 500 Index . DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer.
