What Is ‘Implied Volatility’ and How Does It Influence the Options Spread?

Implied volatility (IV) is the market's expectation of future price swings of the underlying asset. High IV means higher uncertainty, which increases the option premium and the risk for the market maker.

To compensate for this increased risk, market makers will widen the bid-offer spread on options contracts. Lower IV generally leads to tighter spreads.

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