Options Analytics

Expected Move

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

Expiration Date DTE Price~ Expected Move Expected Move% Upper Bound Lower Bound Implied Volatility
03/11/26 (Wed) 2 259.57 4.08 1.57% 263.65 255.49 31.05%
03/13/26 (Fri) 4 259.57 5.87 2.26% 265.44 253.7 31.5%
03/16/26 (Mon) 7 259.57 6.69 2.58% 266.26 252.88 27.44%
03/18/26 (Wed) 9 259.57 8.01 3.09% 267.58 251.56 28.95%
03/20/26 (Fri) 11 259.57 9.12 3.51% 268.69 250.45 29.61%
03/27/26 (Fri) 18 259.57 11.26 4.34% 270.83 248.31 28.61%
04/02/26 (Thu) 24 259.57 12.71 4.9% 272.28 246.86 28.08%
04/10/26 (Fri) 32 259.57 14.34 5.53% 273.91 245.23 27.37%
04/17/26 (Fri) 39 259.57 15.96 6.15% 275.53 243.61 27.36%
04/24/26 (Fri) 46 259.57 17.17 6.61% 276.74 242.4 27.32%
05/15/26 (Fri) 67 259.57 22.4 8.63% 281.97 237.17 29.63%
06/18/26 (Thu) 101 259.57 27.18 10.47% 286.75 232.39 29.22%
07/17/26 (Fri) 130 259.57 30.34 11.69% 289.91 229.22 28.72%
08/21/26 (Fri) 165 259.57 34.89 13.44% 294.46 224.68 29.43%
09/18/26 (Fri) 193 259.57 37.53 14.46% 297.1 222.04 29.22%
11/20/26 (Fri) 256 259.57 43.52 16.77% 303.09 216.05 29.49%
12/18/26 (Fri) 284 259.57 45.73 17.62% 305.3 213.84 29.39%
01/15/27 (Fri) 312 259.57 47.83 18.43% 307.4 211.74 29.33%
03/19/27 (Fri) 375 259.57 52.61 20.27% 312.19 206.95 29.49%
06/17/27 (Thu) 465 259.57 58.78 22.64% 318.35 200.79 29.65%
01/21/28 (Fri) 683 259.57 71.06 27.38% 330.63 188.51 29.71%
12/15/28 (Fri) 1012 259.57 84.79 32.66% 344.36 174.78 29.35%

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.