Guest Columnist for Steven Sears at Barron’s

It may just be a coincidence, but each time I have been tapped as a guest columnist for The Striking Price on behalf of Steven Sears at Barron’s, there has been a spike in volatility just as I sit down to draft some thoughts. Perhaps Steven knows something I don’t, but if he does, he’s not telling.

Today in There’s Opportunity in Uncertainty, I build on some themes from a previous September column, Will Market Volatility Return to Crisis Levels? and discuss why I think those who have been earning a nice living by selling options steadily for the past two years or so may still be able to carry that strategy forward.

In today’s column, I also mention the sentiment cycle pioneered by Justin Mamis in The Nature of Risk. As that graphic has never appeared on the blog, I have decided to include it below for reference.

I will take up some of the ideas presented in the Barron’s column, including information risk and price risk, in this space going forward.

Related posts:

• Hope and Depression in the Investor Sentiment Cycle
• VIX Futures: What Were/Are They Thinking?
• VIX Futures Contango Soars
• More Strange Happenings in the VIX Term Structure
• Today’s Jump in the VIX Futures Term Structure
• Availability Bias and Disaster Imprinting

Previous Barron’s contributions:

• Will Market Volatility Return to Crisis Levels (September 15, 2010)
• The Perils of Predicting Volatility (May 20, 2010)
• Take a Longer View on Volatility (July 2, 2009)
  

Disclosure(s): none