Hedge Funds Indicate Age Of Low Volatility May Be Over: SocGen

Volatility has remained low for more than a year now, and short interest in the VIX has followed suit, reaching new highs in August 2013 when investors expected then Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to pull the trigger on tapering. But hedge funds, which normally sell the VIX anyways, have been shedding their short positions and will soon become net buyers of volatility.

Hedge funds have a short VIX bias

“Historically, and in combination with long equity positions elsewhere, hedge funds have a strong natural bias toward net selling the VIX,” writes Societe General analyst Alain Bokobza. “After all, with the forward...