{"slug":"is-high-implied-volatility-good","qid":"iv_bands","label":"Where near-the-money implied volatility sat across the traded options market (July 28, 2026)","post_title":"Is High Implied Volatility Good? IV in Context","post_url":"/blog/is-high-implied-volatility-good#q-iv_bands","columns":["iv_band","underlyings","share_pct","share_at_or_above_pct"],"rows":[{"iv_band":"under 20%","underlyings":29,"share_pct":7.4,"share_at_or_above_pct":100},{"iv_band":"20 to 30%","underlyings":70,"share_pct":17.9,"share_at_or_above_pct":92.6},{"iv_band":"30 to 40%","underlyings":76,"share_pct":19.4,"share_at_or_above_pct":74.7},{"iv_band":"40 to 60%","underlyings":89,"share_pct":22.7,"share_at_or_above_pct":55.4},{"iv_band":"60 to 80%","underlyings":53,"share_pct":13.5,"share_at_or_above_pct":32.7},{"iv_band":"80% and up","underlyings":75,"share_pct":19.1,"share_at_or_above_pct":19.1}],"shape":"ranking","sql":"WITH per_name AS (\n    SELECT underlying_symbol AS u,\n           100 * quantileExact(0.5)(implied_volatility) AS iv_pct\n    FROM global_markets.options_greeks\n    WHERE date = '2026-07-28'\n      AND iv_converged AND implied_volatility BETWEEN 0.02 AND 5\n      AND abs(strike_price / underlying_close - 1) <= 0.05\n      AND expiration_date BETWEEN date + 20 AND date + 60\n      AND underlying_symbol != 'SPCX'\n    GROUP BY u\n    HAVING sum(volume) >= 500 AND count() >= 10\n),\nbanded AS (\n    SELECT multiIf(iv_pct < 20, 'under 20%', iv_pct < 30, '20 to 30%', iv_pct < 40, '30 to 40%',\n                   iv_pct < 60, '40 to 60%', iv_pct < 80, '60 to 80%', '80% and up') AS iv_band,\n           min(iv_pct) AS lo,\n           count() AS underlyings\n    FROM per_name\n    GROUP BY iv_band\n)\nSELECT iv_band,\n       underlyings,\n       round(100 * underlyings / (SELECT count() FROM per_name), 1) AS share_pct,\n       round(100 * sum(underlyings) OVER (ORDER BY lo DESC) / (SELECT count() FROM per_name), 1) AS share_at_or_above_pct\nFROM banded\nORDER BY lo","computed_at":"2026-08-17T14:10:26.436843+00:00","elapsed":0.024561239}