Options Analytics

Expected Move

Market-implied ±1σ and ±2σ ranges for SPY

Expiration Date DTE Price~ Expected Move Expected Move% Upper Bound Lower Bound Implied Volatility
08/10/26 (Mon) 0 773.26 3.43 0.44% 776.69 769.83 1.0%
08/11/26 (Tue) 1 773.26 4.64 0.6% 777.9 768.62 8.42%
08/12/26 (Wed) 2 773.26 5.98 0.77% 779.24 767.28 9.71%
08/13/26 (Thu) 3 773.26 6.91 0.89% 780.17 766.35 10.24%
08/14/26 (Fri) 4 773.26 7.81 1.01% 781.07 765.45 10.66%
08/17/26 (Mon) 7 773.26 8.77 1.13% 782.03 764.49 10.06%
08/18/26 (Tue) 8 773.26 9.41 1.22% 782.67 763.85 10.29%
08/19/26 (Wed) 9 773.26 10.08 1.3% 783.34 763.18 10.54%
08/20/26 (Thu) 10 773.26 10.72 1.39% 783.98 762.54 10.78%
08/21/26 (Fri) 11 773.26 11.44 1.48% 784.7 761.82 11.03%
08/28/26 (Fri) 18 773.26 15.27 1.98% 788.53 757.99 12.01%
08/31/26 (Mon) 21 773.26 16.05 2.08% 789.31 757.21 11.83%
09/04/26 (Fri) 25 773.26 18.37 2.38% 791.63 754.89 12.45%
09/11/26 (Fri) 32 773.26 20.8 2.69% 794.06 752.46 12.61%
09/18/26 (Fri) 39 773.26 23.78 3.08% 797.04 749.48 13.0%
09/25/26 (Fri) 46 773.26 25.84 3.34% 799.1 747.42 13.27%
09/30/26 (Wed) 51 773.26 27.19 3.52% 800.45 746.07 13.36%
10/16/26 (Fri) 67 773.26 32.87 4.25% 806.13 740.39 14.22%
10/30/26 (Fri) 81 773.26 36.92 4.78% 810.18 736.34 14.45%
11/20/26 (Fri) 102 773.26 42.52 5.5% 815.78 730.74 14.85%
11/30/26 (Mon) 112 773.26 44.76 5.79% 818.02 728.5 14.92%
12/18/26 (Fri) 130 773.26 49.36 6.38% 822.62 723.9 15.27%
12/31/26 (Thu) 143 773.26 51.58 6.67% 824.84 721.68 15.37%
01/15/27 (Fri) 158 773.26 55.06 7.12% 828.32 718.2 15.58%
01/29/27 (Fri) 172 773.26 58.99 7.63% 832.25 714.27 15.94%
03/19/27 (Fri) 221 773.26 69.39 8.97% 842.65 703.87 16.54%
03/31/27 (Wed) 233 773.26 70.53 9.12% 843.79 702.73 16.48%
06/17/27 (Thu) 311 773.26 86.97 11.25% 860.23 686.29 17.53%
06/30/27 (Wed) 324 773.26 87.92 11.37% 861.18 685.34 17.43%
09/17/27 (Fri) 403 773.26 102.42 13.24% 875.68 670.84 18.14%
12/17/27 (Fri) 494 773.26 116.83 15.11% 890.09 656.43 18.71%
01/21/28 (Fri) 529 773.26 120.9 15.64% 894.16 652.36 18.75%
06/16/28 (Fri) 676 773.26 141.15 18.25% 914.41 632.11 19.36%
12/15/28 (Fri) 858 773.26 163.25 21.11% 936.51 610.01 19.82%

Understanding Expected Move

What is the Expected Move?

The expected move is the price range that options traders believe an asset will stay within by a specific expiration date. It is calculated using the prices of at-the-money options (straddles) and represents a one-standard-deviation (±1σ) probability, which is approximately 68%.

How to interpret the outputs

The chart visualizes the potential price range (the “cone”) for the asset over time, with both one-standard-deviation (±1σ) and two-standard-deviation (±2σ, ~95% probability) boundaries. The table below quantifies this, showing the expected move in both points and as a percentage for each upcoming expiration. This lets you see exactly how much volatility the market is pricing in for different time horizons.

Practical applications

  • Set realistic price targets for trades based on market-implied probabilities.
  • Determine optimal strike prices for spreads, condors, or straddles.
  • Compare your thesis with the market’s implied consensus to judge risk/reward.
  • Spot when expectations for volatility are unusually high or low versus history.