Options Analytics

Expected Move

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

Expiration Date DTE Price~ Expected Move Expected Move% Upper Bound Lower Bound Implied Volatility
04/24/26 (Fri) 1 415.75 5.51 1.32% 421.26 410.24 1.0%
04/27/26 (Mon) 4 415.75 7.95 1.91% 423.7 407.8 26.84%
05/01/26 (Fri) 8 415.75 23.76 5.71% 439.51 391.99 56.78%
05/04/26 (Mon) 11 415.75 24.69 5.94% 440.44 391.06 50.14%
05/06/26 (Wed) 13 415.75 25.46 6.12% 441.21 390.29 47.8%
05/08/26 (Fri) 15 415.75 26.69 6.42% 442.44 389.06 46.65%
05/15/26 (Fri) 22 415.75 28.81 6.93% 444.56 386.94 41.49%
05/22/26 (Fri) 29 415.75 30.9 7.43% 446.65 384.85 38.69%
05/29/26 (Fri) 36 415.75 32.62 7.85% 448.37 383.13 36.83%
06/18/26 (Thu) 56 415.75 38.61 9.29% 454.36 377.14 34.88%
07/17/26 (Fri) 85 415.75 45.35 10.91% 461.1 370.4 33.33%
08/21/26 (Fri) 120 415.75 55.25 13.29% 471.0 360.5 34.03%
09/18/26 (Fri) 148 415.75 59.33 14.27% 475.08 356.42 32.99%
10/16/26 (Fri) 176 415.75 64.01 15.4% 479.75 351.75 32.77%
11/20/26 (Fri) 211 415.75 70.32 16.91% 486.07 345.43 32.98%
12/18/26 (Fri) 239 415.75 73.82 17.76% 489.57 341.93 32.55%
01/15/27 (Fri) 267 415.75 76.33 18.36% 492.08 339.42 31.82%
03/19/27 (Fri) 330 415.75 85.4 20.54% 501.15 330.35 32.01%
06/17/27 (Thu) 420 415.75 96.22 23.14% 511.97 319.53 32.08%
12/17/27 (Fri) 603 415.75 115.73 27.84% 531.48 300.02 32.45%
01/21/28 (Fri) 638 415.75 119.17 28.66% 534.92 296.58 32.44%
06/16/28 (Fri) 785 415.75 132.26 31.81% 548.01 283.49 32.73%

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.