The CBOE Volatility Index, known as Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” ended Friday at 18.5, “below its long-run average of 20,” Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, said in a note emailed Monday. That’s down from early January, when the gauge, which trades under the ticker VIX, kicked off the year with a close of 22.9, FactSet data show.The CBOE Volatility Index, known as Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” ended Friday at 18.
A chart in his note shows that “a resolutely low VIX” below 20 was “the backdrop for strong annual gains” in 2021. By contrast, “a VIX consistently over 20 signals trouble,” said Colas. “In 2022, it was rarely below 20.” Given the VIX’s decline this year to 18.5 on Friday, Colas said it’s “no surprise” that the S&P 500 was up 6% through that day. Wall Street’s fear gauge was above that level on Monday, trading around 19.8, according to FactSet data, at last check.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference on the decision of the Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. The FOMC statement will be released shortly before then, at 2 p.m.
The crystal ball says, buy, buy, buy
It looks like Wall Street is already off to a great start this year! Let's see how long the rally lasts and how this impacts the markets in the long run. stocks VIX DataTrek