Re:A mystery trader just made over $200M betting on Volatility
by teapot01 on Tuesday February 06, 2018 @01:10AM
(#16314724)
I agree - but looking at the daily graph of the VIX index - it rose slowly from around 18 to top out at 37. I'd expect anyone holding this position is actively trading and would have wound up the position with a significant profit.
Their payoff diagram from this position w.r.t. the VIX settlement value at the time that their options expire increases linearly from 15 to 25, then decreases linearly (with a slope of the same magnitude) past that point. Their profit will be maximized if the VIX settles at exactly 25, while they will lose money if the VIX settles above 35.
Of course, it's also possible that this "mystery trader" is using this position as a hedge against direct or indirect VIX exposure in the remainder of their portfolio.