Options traders are positioning for higher volatility around the November US midterms, even as Nvidia earnings and PBOC Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech remain the week’s headline events. Traders monitoring VIX-linked futures say hedging demand for S&P 500 volatility has increased: September VIX futures trade near 17.4, October near 19.0 and November near 19.7. Little Harbor Advisors co‑PM Matthew Thompson said: "With the US election approaching, you're entering a window where the electio

Options traders are positioning for higher volatility around the November US midterms, even as Nvidia earnings and PBOC Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech remain the week’s headline events. Traders monitoring VIX-linked futures say hedging demand for S&P 500 volatility has increased: September VIX futures trade near 17.4, October near 19.0 and November near 19.7. Little Harbor Advisors co‑PM Matthew Thompson said: "With the US election approaching, you're entering a window where the election will affect the VIX. You can already see that upward tilt in the VIX futures term structure." A CBOE Global Markets analyst study shows since 1945 realized volatility in midterm years exceeded the prior year 80% of the time, rising on average 3.5 volatility points; when the White House and Congress were controlled by the same party, realized volatility rose about 6 volatility points on average.