Wider Intraday Price Swings in Stocks Prompt Options Strategies

The stock slide that started in February and accelerated last week has been marked not just by large day-to-day moves, but also by an increase in intraday volatility.

Markets got the worst-case tariff scenario late Wednesday, with the S&P 500 dropping by the end of the week to the lowest in almost a year. That drove the Cboe Volatility Index to the highest close since 2020, while in late March a measure of intraday swings reached the highest since at least 2023.