Difference between Historical Volatility and Implied Volatility
The phenomenon of rapid price movements is called volatility. The price charts are a bit like a person's mood swings. You can see the highs and lows, and you can see when things are about to change. It is volatility that the options traders and hedge funds love to take advantage of.
First, let us take a look at historical volatility and then move on to understanding implied volatility.
What is Historical Volatility?
Historical volatility is a statistical measurement of how much a given stock moves up and down. As the name suggests, historical volatility measures a stock’s price as compared to its average or mean.
A stock with higher volatility is inherently riskier because there is a bigger chance the stock’s price will drop significantly.
Whereas, it can also be potentially more rewarding since there is also a possibility that the stock’s price will make a big jump upward. Stocks tend to generally become more volatile during times of uncertainty.
What is Implied Volatility?
Implied volatility, on the other hand, looks at how the market is pricing a security in the future and can help traders predict price movements.
A stock with a higher implied volatility generally has options contracts with higher premiums.
Historical volatility and Implied volatility are important concepts for anyone looking to understand the stock market. By understanding how it works, you can better assess risk and construct a portfolio that meets your needs. For more information on implied volatility and its impact on options pricing, be sure to check out the article What is Implied Volatility written by LearnApp.