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VIX beta is telling you something

Imran Lakha
Imran Lakha1 min read

VIX dropped 7 points last week. Quieter times ahead?

I am afraid not.

Look at VIX beta. It's sitting at -4.7 right now. A month ago it was much higher. That means the sensitivity of VIX to S&P moves is fading, even though VIX is still parked near 25.

Normally, high VIX comes with high VIX beta. Sharp spikes, sharp collapses. The playbook is simple: wait for the spike, fade it, collect your money when it mean-reverts back under 20.

That playbook is broken right now.

When VIX beta drops while VIX stays elevated, the market is pricing something different. It's telling you these levels are sticky. That 20-35 on VIX could be the range for months, not days.

This changes how you trade vol.

Buying VIX calls hoping for a 40 print? Wrong trade. Shorting VIX at 25 expecting a collapse to 15? Wrong trade. The play is positioning for a world where elevated vol is the baseline, and structuring around it.

The regime shifted. The question is whether you noticed.

Volatility first.

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Imran


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