Volatility index options hit record high

The CBOE Volatility Index closed at its session high just barely in positive territory yesterday as the VIX options had a record day.

The VIX finished at 16.41, up 0.13 points, or 0.8 percent. This came as the S&P 500 gained 4.48 points to 1433.56, essentially in the middle of the day's range.

The VIX futures were mixed. The September futures were higher, up 0.05 points to 16.55, just off the session high after trading lower for most of the day, and the October contracts fell 0.25 points to 18.30. The November futures were down 0.50 points, or 2.45 percent, to 19.90.

This had the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX) and the VelocityShares Daily 2X VIX Short-Term Note (TVIX) lower on the day.

The VIX options traded 1.2 million contracts, an all-time record high, with 827,00 calls outpacing puts. The volume has been high over the last few sessions, suggesting that traders are looking to hedge a potential spike in volatility in coming weeks.

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