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VIX Options Volume Soars as Someone Bets Big on Volatility Spike

One options investor seems to be positioning for a 62 percent surge into November.

VIX Options Volume Soars as Someone Bets Big on Volatility Spike
Traders work in the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) pit on the floor of the Cboe Global Markets exchange in Chicago. (Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Someone in the options market is betting that the Cboe Volatility Index, which has been trading below its five-year average, is headed back toward the level it was at during the market turmoil of February.

The VIX fell to 12.37 on Thursday. It’s down more than 66 percent from its Feb. 5 peak. One options investor seems to be positioning for a 62 percent surge into November.

VIX Options Volume Soars as Someone Bets Big on Volatility Spike

Total VIX options volume spiked to more than double the 20-day average as one investor bought approximately 76,000 November $20 calls while simultaneously selling the same amount of November $26 calls and approximately 95,000 October $13 puts.

While this trade’s ultimate goal is to profit off a surge in volatility, it appears it will be profitable even if the VIX doesn’t move given the trader collected about 8 cents per contract when it was executed.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Calderone in New York at gcalderone7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Arie Shapira at ashapira3@bloomberg.net, Richard Richtmyer, Brendan Walsh

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.