The Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, jumped to its highest level of the year on Tuesday. Traders are betting it will keep rising.
President Trump’s tariffs and retaliatory action from the U.S.’s top trading partners rattled markets on Tuesday. That has pushed up the VIX, which measures expectations for where the market is headed through S&P 500 options.
Options traders also jumped into action. Trading volumes for call options tied to the VIX were at their highest level since early September, according to Cboe Global Markets data. Calls confer the right to buy a stock at a set price.
