Source: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/volatility-vix

# Volatility / VIX
URL: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/volatility-vix
Last modified: 2026-10-17

Volatility is how much a price swings. The VIX is Cboe's index of how far the S&P 500 is expected to move over thirty days, priced from options; 20 means about 1.3% a day. It is [fear priced, not measured](https://mochatrade.com/learn/start-here/how-to-read-us-market-news), it sits in [the counts column of the US map](https://mochatrade.com/learn/us-market-structure/us-stock-market-explained), and it [rises into a Fed decision and falls straight after](https://mochatrade.com/blog/mocha-markets-weekly-019).

## Related terms

- S&P 500: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/sp-500
- Cboe: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/cboe
- Day trading and the PDT rule: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/day-trading-and-the-pdt-rule
- Volume: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/volume
- Bid-ask spread: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/bid-ask-spread
- Retail sales: https://mochatrade.com/learn/glossary/retail-sales

Educational content only. Not investment advice. Leveraged products magnify losses as well as gains.