A U.S. debt-ceiling showdown, recession fears and persistent banking jitters weren’t getting stock-market investors worked up on Friday. Major indexes were set to end April on a positive note, while the Cboe Volatility Index VIX, closely watched measure of expected stock-market volatility fell to a nearly 18-month low.A U.S. debt-ceiling showdown, recession fears and persistent banking jitters weren’t getting stock-market investors worked up on Friday.
The subdued VIX is partly due to surprisingly buoyant economic data, argued Christian Mueller-Glissman, head of asset allocation research within portfolio strategy at Goldman Sachs. The VIX futures curve — a line drawn across VIX futures contracts prices — slopes upward, signaling investors expect volatility to rise over time.