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
07/16/26 (Thu) 0 754.71 3.03 0.4% 757.74 751.68 10.6%
07/17/26 (Fri) 1 754.71 4.16 0.55% 758.88 750.55 10.62%
07/20/26 (Mon) 4 754.71 5.19 0.69% 759.9 749.52 8.51%
07/21/26 (Tue) 5 754.71 5.9 0.78% 760.61 748.81 8.88%
07/22/26 (Wed) 6 754.71 6.93 0.92% 761.64 747.78 9.68%
07/23/26 (Thu) 7 754.71 7.76 1.03% 762.47 746.95 10.13%
07/24/26 (Fri) 8 754.71 8.54 1.13% 763.25 746.17 10.47%
07/27/26 (Mon) 11 754.71 9.4 1.25% 764.11 745.31 10.04%
07/28/26 (Tue) 12 754.71 10.03 1.33% 764.74 744.68 10.29%
07/29/26 (Wed) 13 754.71 11.17 1.48% 765.88 743.54 11.06%
07/31/26 (Fri) 15 754.71 13.1 1.74% 767.81 741.61 12.08%
08/07/26 (Fri) 22 754.71 16.27 2.16% 770.98 738.44 12.51%
08/14/26 (Fri) 29 754.71 19.09 2.53% 773.8 735.62 12.83%
08/21/26 (Fri) 36 754.71 21.53 2.85% 776.24 733.18 13.04%
08/28/26 (Fri) 43 754.71 24.25 3.21% 778.96 730.46 13.45%
08/31/26 (Mon) 46 754.71 24.78 3.28% 779.49 729.93 13.33%
09/18/26 (Fri) 64 754.71 30.93 4.1% 785.64 723.78 14.04%
09/30/26 (Wed) 76 754.71 33.66 4.46% 788.37 721.05 14.19%
10/16/26 (Fri) 92 754.71 38.43 5.09% 793.14 716.28 14.7%
10/30/26 (Fri) 106 754.71 42.37 5.61% 797.08 712.34 15.06%
11/20/26 (Fri) 127 754.71 47.94 6.35% 802.65 706.77 15.53%
11/30/26 (Mon) 137 754.71 49.72 6.59% 804.43 704.99 15.52%
12/18/26 (Fri) 155 754.71 54.43 7.21% 809.14 700.28 15.94%
12/31/26 (Thu) 168 754.71 56.61 7.5% 811.32 698.1 16.05%
01/15/27 (Fri) 183 754.71 60.29 7.99% 815.0 694.42 16.32%
03/19/27 (Fri) 246 754.71 73.99 9.8% 828.7 680.72 17.21%
03/31/27 (Wed) 258 754.71 75.65 10.02% 830.36 679.06 17.29%
06/17/27 (Thu) 336 754.71 91.29 12.1% 846.0 663.42 18.19%
06/30/27 (Wed) 349 754.71 92.76 12.29% 847.47 661.95 18.21%
09/17/27 (Fri) 428 754.71 106.24 14.08% 860.95 648.47 18.78%
12/17/27 (Fri) 519 754.71 119.34 15.81% 874.05 635.37 19.18%
01/21/28 (Fri) 554 754.71 122.91 16.29% 877.62 631.8 19.14%
06/16/28 (Fri) 701 754.71 141.96 18.81% 896.67 612.75 19.65%
12/15/28 (Fri) 883 754.71 163.51 21.67% 918.22 591.2 20.15%

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.