Week 25: Volatility Normalises

A week of falling volatility and flattening term structures rewarded systematic positioning — but tactical gamma trades faced headwinds.

3 min read

Weekly Summary

This week marked a stark contrast to the previous fortnight's spike in volatility. After last week's sharp selloff in equities and the VIX surge to 21.51, markets found their footing early in the week. The S&P 500 recovered modestly, whilst the Nasdaq's rebound proved more decisive. More telling than raw index performance was the shift in the volatility regime: the VIX compressed from 21.51 to 17.68 over five trading days — a 15% decline that reflects a genuine risk-off reversal rather than a mere positioning unwind.

This post is for subscribers only


Related content

 

Week 31: Fed Holds, Microsoft Surges, Markets Recover

A volatile week of central bank signals, hawkish bond moves and swinging tech earnings resolved in a positive weekly close and three of four portfolios beat the S&P 500.

Week 30: Tech Earnings Disappoint, Oil Surges: Markets Sell Off Again

Alphabet and Tesla missed the mark, Brent briefly crossed $100, and equity markets fell for a second consecutive week: yet the combined portfolio ended the week virtually flat.

Week 29: Earnings Season Lifts Off & Tech Stumbles

A quieter macro backdrop gave way to late-week selling in technology — but strong earnings from banks and a resilient vol structure kept three portfolios close to the index while one stood apart.

Week 28: Geopolitics Rattle Markets - Vol Holds, Portfolios Deliver

Iran tensions, a hawkish Fed and surging oil prices kept traders on edge: yet equities ended the week higher and all four Rivativ portfolios outperformed the S&P 500.

Week 27: Vol Compresses as Markets Bounce Back

A week of falling volatility and flattening term structures rewarded systematic positioning — but tactical gamma trades faced headwinds.