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
05/15/26 (Fri) 0 748.48 3.58 0.48% 752.06 744.9 1.0%
05/18/26 (Mon) 3 748.48 5.45 0.73% 753.93 743.03 10.15%
05/19/26 (Tue) 4 748.48 6.51 0.87% 754.99 741.97 10.86%
05/20/26 (Wed) 5 748.48 8.15 1.09% 756.63 740.33 12.41%
05/21/26 (Thu) 6 748.48 9.55 1.28% 758.03 738.93 13.48%
05/22/26 (Fri) 7 748.48 10.65 1.42% 759.13 737.83 13.95%
05/26/26 (Tue) 11 748.48 11.98 1.6% 760.47 736.5 12.91%
05/27/26 (Wed) 12 748.48 12.67 1.69% 761.15 735.81 13.11%
05/28/26 (Thu) 13 748.48 13.44 1.8% 761.92 735.04 13.4%
05/29/26 (Fri) 14 748.48 14.3 1.91% 762.78 734.18 13.71%
06/05/26 (Fri) 21 748.48 18.04 2.41% 766.52 730.44 14.28%
06/12/26 (Fri) 28 748.48 21.23 2.84% 769.71 727.25 14.6%
06/18/26 (Thu) 34 748.48 23.95 3.2% 772.43 724.53 14.88%
06/26/26 (Fri) 42 748.48 26.36 3.52% 774.84 722.12 14.96%
06/30/26 (Tue) 46 748.48 27.35 3.65% 775.83 721.13 14.89%
07/17/26 (Fri) 63 748.48 32.97 4.4% 781.45 715.51 15.34%
07/31/26 (Fri) 77 748.48 37.75 5.04% 786.23 710.73 15.87%
08/21/26 (Fri) 98 748.48 43.32 5.79% 791.8 705.16 16.14%
08/31/26 (Mon) 108 748.48 45.67 6.1% 794.15 702.81 16.23%
09/18/26 (Fri) 126 748.48 50.5 6.75% 798.98 697.98 16.59%
09/30/26 (Wed) 138 748.48 52.76 7.05% 801.24 695.72 16.68%
10/16/26 (Fri) 154 748.48 56.74 7.58% 805.22 691.74 16.98%
10/30/26 (Fri) 168 748.48 60.15 8.04% 808.63 688.33 17.2%
11/20/26 (Fri) 189 748.48 65.46 8.75% 813.94 683.02 17.61%
12/18/26 (Fri) 217 748.48 70.66 9.44% 819.14 677.82 17.77%
12/31/26 (Thu) 230 748.48 72.04 9.62% 820.52 676.44 17.66%
01/15/27 (Fri) 245 748.48 75.69 10.11% 824.17 672.79 17.98%
03/19/27 (Fri) 308 748.48 87.5 11.69% 835.98 660.98 18.48%
03/31/27 (Wed) 320 748.48 88.26 11.79% 836.74 660.22 18.34%
06/17/27 (Thu) 398 748.48 102.24 13.66% 850.72 646.24 19.0%
09/17/27 (Fri) 490 748.48 114.52 15.3% 863.0 633.96 19.19%
12/17/27 (Fri) 581 748.48 127.19 16.99% 875.67 621.29 19.6%
01/21/28 (Fri) 616 748.48 131.47 17.56% 879.95 617.01 19.74%
06/16/28 (Fri) 763 748.48 147.56 19.72% 896.04 600.92 19.9%
12/15/28 (Fri) 945 748.48 167.96 22.44% 916.44 580.52 20.26%

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.