DMI Featured

Implied volatilities increased across asset classes last week amidst the geopolitical overhang created by the instability of commercial transit along the Strait of Hormuz and mixed signals from Iranian hard-liners undermining the country’s appetite for a resumption of peace talks. Equity, rates, credit, and FX implied volatilities all posted modest gains (see Exhibit 1), with the VIX® Index ending the week 1.25 pts higher to 18.7% - despite the fact that the S&P-500® has rallied to record highs for a YTD return of +4.7%. Learn more in this week’s Macro Volatility Digest.