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
04/20/26 (Mon) 3 710.19 4.23 0.6% 714.42 705.96 9.6%
04/21/26 (Tue) 4 710.19 5.63 0.79% 715.82 704.56 11.06%
04/22/26 (Wed) 5 710.19 6.73 0.95% 716.92 703.46 11.84%
04/23/26 (Thu) 6 710.19 7.75 1.09% 717.94 702.44 12.45%
04/24/26 (Fri) 7 710.19 8.76 1.23% 718.95 701.43 12.96%
04/27/26 (Mon) 10 710.19 10.05 1.41% 720.24 700.14 12.5%
04/28/26 (Tue) 11 710.19 10.77 1.52% 720.96 699.42 12.78%
04/29/26 (Wed) 12 710.19 12.07 1.7% 722.26 698.12 13.71%
04/30/26 (Thu) 13 710.19 13.17 1.85% 723.36 697.02 14.38%
05/01/26 (Fri) 14 710.19 13.91 1.96% 724.1 696.28 14.59%
05/08/26 (Fri) 21 710.19 16.91 2.38% 727.11 693.28 14.46%
05/15/26 (Fri) 28 710.19 19.57 2.76% 729.76 690.62 14.47%
05/22/26 (Fri) 35 710.19 22.31 3.14% 732.5 687.88 14.72%
05/29/26 (Fri) 42 710.19 24.31 3.42% 734.5 685.88 14.66%
06/18/26 (Thu) 62 710.19 30.74 4.33% 740.93 679.45 15.18%
06/30/26 (Tue) 74 710.19 33.09 4.66% 743.28 677.1 15.12%
07/17/26 (Fri) 91 710.19 37.82 5.33% 748.01 672.37 15.54%
07/31/26 (Fri) 105 710.19 41.63 5.86% 751.82 668.56 15.88%
08/21/26 (Fri) 126 710.19 46.84 6.6% 757.03 663.35 16.27%
08/31/26 (Mon) 136 710.19 48.94 6.89% 759.13 661.25 16.37%
09/18/26 (Fri) 154 710.19 53.23 7.5% 763.42 656.96 16.7%
09/30/26 (Wed) 166 710.19 55.14 7.76% 765.33 655.05 16.79%
12/18/26 (Fri) 245 710.19 71.31 10.04% 781.51 638.88 17.78%
12/31/26 (Thu) 258 710.19 72.48 10.21% 782.67 637.71 17.7%
01/15/27 (Fri) 273 710.19 75.65 10.65% 785.84 634.54 17.95%
03/19/27 (Fri) 336 710.19 86.03 12.11% 796.22 624.16 18.34%
03/31/27 (Wed) 348 710.19 88.33 12.44% 798.52 621.86 18.6%
06/17/27 (Thu) 426 710.19 99.72 14.04% 809.91 610.47 18.91%
09/17/27 (Fri) 518 710.19 111.67 15.72% 821.86 598.52 19.24%
12/17/27 (Fri) 609 710.19 122.53 17.25% 832.72 587.66 19.51%
01/21/28 (Fri) 644 710.19 125.46 17.67% 835.65 584.73 19.48%
06/16/28 (Fri) 791 710.19 141.8 19.97% 851.99 568.39 19.9%
12/15/28 (Fri) 973 710.19 160.36 22.58% 870.55 549.83 20.2%

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.