The optimistic view, presented by Adam Warner at Daily Options Report, is that maybe the 3% drop in the futures is not going to get much worse immediately (I think there’s an implicit "immediately" in between the lines) because the Lehman car wreck has been playing out forever, as we’ve been watching, forever. 
Note to self: Ask Adam if he sells bathing suits on the side.
Weekend at Bennie’s
Not that a VIX with a 25 full is particularly high historically, but in 2008 it’s a decent reading.
The reasons were pretty obvious. We closed Friday knowing LEH and maybe Wamu, would see some sort of resolution. And now apparently Merill and AIG need one too.
But is something all that cosmic really going to happen? The LEH car wreck has played out in Super slo-mo forever. And this isn’t BSC at 30 going to $2, LEH and WM were already there. And we’ve seen this movie before over and over again all year.
I try to look at volatility subjectively. An absolute number needs context. Not that 25.6 volatility presages a crash, and not that the news is anything but awful, but we’re getting late in the game to worry about more financial shoes dropping. News Flash: They took down lots of horrendous paper and can’t get it off their sheets without Ben and Hank stepping in. So just wondering aloud whether this is that long-awaited excess Fear that’s been a little slow in forming.
As I type, the futures are signalling a market down something like 3%. So maybe the VIX was just pre-pricing in a gap, much like ahead of an earnings. And maybe once we open and settle in, volatility will dip and it’s back to Complacency Station. It could be nothing more than that.
In any event, should be interesting. Again, if you want to do something bullish, calls or call spreads make the most sense imho.
And yes, mentions of VIX are sponsored by VIX Swimwear and Clear Pepsi "Sure those clear drinks haven’t been popular for 20 years, but that won’t stop
the Florida Sun Sentinel from reporting it as new news.
