NEW YORK and LONDON, Aug. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exchange-traded products (ETPs) based on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) have become increasingly popular in 2016 as traders look for opportunities to profit off the tumultuous market. According to TABB Group, traders in the five largest ETPs exchanged 25.2 billion shares in the first half of 2016 and will likely exceed last year’s volume in these products by 86%. If that pace persists, the notional value traded in these volatility products will rise to $946 billion in 2016, 26% higher than 2015’s notional volume. TABB Group’s latest research, “Volatility ETPs: When Traders Cash in on Turbulence,” analyzes the current universe of volatility ETPs and why these products are gaining favor with traders.

TABB explains that even though volume in volatility ETPs has swelled over the past few years, trading in the products has exploded this year amid a resurgence of market turmoil and elevated VIX levels. The surge in interest for volatility trading has also produced an increase in volumes in VIX futures and options this year, with totals set to exceed previous record volumes.

However, as author Callie Bost details in the research, VIX options and futures are tailored more towards professional investors and volatility ETPs, which mostly hold VIX derivatives, provide both institutional and retail traders with an entry into long-volatility, short-volatility, and market-hedging strategies. Though the market is flooded with volatility ETPs, traders are still yearning for a more predictable product that can accurately track the VIX index.

“The booming popularity of volatility ETPs presents a wealth of opportunities for market participants,” Bost said. “These products will continue to be in the spotlight as market turbulence picks up on the heels of global economic turmoil and future global monetary policy decisions.”

The report is now available for download by TABB derivative clients, as well as pre-qualified media at https://research.tabbgroup.com/search/grid. For more information or to purchase the report, contact [email protected].  

About TABB Group
With offices in New York and London, TABB Group is the international research and consulting firm focused exclusively on capital markets, based on the interview-based, “first-person knowledge” research methodology developed by Larry Tabb. For more information, visit www.tabbgroup.com.

CONTACT: Contact:
Casey Sheets, TABB Group
+1 646-747-3207 / [email protected]