On the volatility of volatility

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index, VIX, is calculated based on prices of out-of-the-money put and call options on the S&P 500 index (SPX). Sometimes called the "investor fear gauge," the VIX is a measure of the implied volatility of the SPX, and is observed to be correlated with the 30-day realized volatility of the SPX. Changes in the VIX are observed to be negatively correlated with changes in the SPX. However, no significant correlation between changes in the VIX and changes in the 30-day realized volatility of the SPX are observed. We investigate whether this indicates a mispricing of options following large VIX moves, and examine the relation to excess returns from variance swaps.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, LaTe

The information contents of vix index and range-based volatility on volatility forecasting performance of s&p 500

In this paper, we investigate the information contents of S&P 500 VIX index and range-based volatilities by comparing their benefits on the GJR-based volatility forecasting performance. To reveal the statistical significance and ensure obtaining robust results, we employ Hansen's SPA test (2005) to examine the forecasting performances of GJR and GJR-X models for the S&P500 stock index. The results indicate that combining VIX and range-based volatilities into GARCH-type model can both enhance the one-step-ahead volatility forecasts while evaluating with different kinds of loss functions. Moreover, regardless of under-prediction, GJR-VIX model appears to be the most preferred, which implies that VIX index has better information content for improving volatility forecasting performance.Range-based volatilities; GJR-based volatility forecasting; VIX index; SPA test

Continuous-time VIX dynamics: on the role of stochastic volatility of volatility

This paper examines the ability of several different continuous-time one- and two-factor jump-diffusion models to capture the dynamics of the VIX volatility index for the period between 1990 and 2010. For the one-factor models we study affine and non-affine specifications, possibly augmented with jumps. Jumps in one-factor models occur frequently, but add surprisingly little to the ability of the models to explain the dynamic of the VIX. We present a stochastic volatility of volatility model that can explain all the time-series characteristics of the VIX studied in this paper. Extensions demonstrate that sudden jumps in the VIX are more likely during tranquil periods and the days when jumps occur coincide with major political or economic events. Using several statistical and operational metrics we find that non-affine one-factor models outperform their affine counterparts and modeling the log of the index is superior to modeling the VIX level directly

Double-jump stochastic volatility model for VIX: evidence from VVIX

The paper studies the continuous-time dynamics of VIX with stochastic volatility and jumps in VIX and volatility. Built on the general parametric affine model with stochastic volatility and jump in logarithm of VIX, we derive a linear relation between the stochastic volatility factor and VVIX index. We detect the existence of co-jump of VIX and VVIX and put forward a double-jump stochastic volatility model for VIX through its joint property with VVIX. With VVIX index as a proxy for the stochastic volatility, we use MCMC method to estimate the dynamics of VIX. Comparing nested models on VIX, we show the jump in VIX and the volatility factor is statistically significant. The jump intensity is also statedependent. We analyze the impact of jump factor on the VIX dynamics

The Rise and Fall of S&P500 Variance Futures

Volatility is an indispensible component of sensible portfolio risk management. The volatility of an asset of composite index can be traded by using volatility derivatives, such as volatility and variance swaps, options and futures. The most popular volatility index is VIX, which is a key measure of market expectations of volatility, and hence is a key barometer of investor sentiment and market volatility. Investors interpret the VIX cash index as a “fear” index, and of VIX options and VIX futures as derivatives of the “fear” index. VIX is based on S&P500 call and put options over a wide range of strike prices, and hence is not model based. Speculators can trade on volatility risk with VIX derivatives, with views on whether volatility will increase or decrease in the future, while hedgers can use volatility derivatives to avoid exposure to volatility risk. VIX and its options and futures derivatives has been widely analysed in recent years. An alternative volatility derivative to VIX is the S&P500 variance futures, which is an expectation of the variance of the S&P500 cash index. Variance futures are futures contracts written on realized variance, or standardized variance swaps. The S&P500 variance futures are not model based, so the assumptions underlying the index do not seem to have been clearly understood. As these two variance futures are thinly traded, their returns are not easy to model accurately using a variety of risk models. This paper analyses the S&P500 3-month variance futures before, during and after the GFC, as well as for the full data period, for each of three alternative conditional volatility models and three densities, in order to determine whether exposure to risk can be incorporated into a financial portfolio without taking positions on the S&P500 index itself.Risk management, financial derivatives, futures, options, swaps, 3-month variance futures, 12-month variance futures, risk exposure, volatility.

The Rise and Fall of S&P500 Variance Futures

Modelling, monitoring and forecasting volatility are indispensible to sensible portfolio risk management. The volatility of an asset of composite index can be traded by using volatility derivatives, such as volatility and variance swaps, options and futures. The most popular volatility index is VIX, which is a key measure of market expectations of volatility, and hence also an important barometer of investor sentiment and market volatility. Investors interpret the VIX cash index as a “fear” index, and of VIX options and VIX futures as derivatives of the “fear” index. VIX is based on S&P500 call and put options over a wide range of strike prices, and hence is not model based. Speculators can trade on volatility risk with VIX derivatives, with views on whether volatility will increase or decrease in the future, while hedgers can use volatility derivatives to avoid exposure to volatility risk. VIX and its options and futures derivatives has been widely analysed in recent years. An alternative volatility derivative to VIX is the S&P500 variance futures, which is an expectation of the variance of the S&P500 cash index. Variance futures are futures contracts written on realized variance, or standardized variance swaps. The S&P500 variance futures are not model based, so the assumptions underlying the index do not seem to have been clearly understood. As variance futures are typically thinly traded, their returns and volatility are not easy to model accurately using a variety of model specifications. This paper analyses the volatility in S&P500 3-month variance futures before, during and after the GFC, as well as for the full data period, for each of three alternative conditional volatility models and three densities, in order to determine whether exposure to risk can be incorporated into a financial portfolio without taking positions on the S&P500 index itself.Risk management; financial derivatives; futures; options; swaps; 3-month variance futures; 12-month variance futures; risk exposure; volatility

Intraday forecasts of a volatility index: Functional time series methods with dynamic updating

As a forward-looking measure of future equity market volatility, the VIX index has gained immense popularity in recent years to become a key measure of risk for market analysts and academics. We consider discrete reported intraday VIX tick values as realisations of a collection of curves observed sequentially on equally spaced and dense grids over time and utilise functional data analysis techniques to produce one-day-ahead forecasts of these curves. The proposed method facilitates the investigation of dynamic changes in the index over very short time intervals as showcased using the 15-second high-frequency VIX index values. With the help of dynamic updating techniques, our point and interval forecasts are shown to enjoy improved accuracy over conventional time series models.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures, To appear at the Annals of Operations Researc

The Market for Volatility Trading; VIX Futures

This paper analyses the new market for trading volatility; VIX futures. We first use market data to establish the relationship between VIX futures prices and the index itself. We observe that VIX futures and VIX are highly correlated; the term structure of VIX futures price is upward sloping while the term structure of VIX futures volatility is downward sloping. To establish a theoretical relationship between VIX futures and VIX, we model the instantaneous variance using a simple square root mean-reverting process. Using daily calibrated variance parameters and VIX, the model gives good predictions of VIX futures prices. These parameter estimates could be used to price VIX options