iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) Probability Analysis
Probability analysis extracts the risk-neutral probability distribution implied by option prices. It shows the market-implied likelihood of the underlying reaching various price levels by expiration.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management - Global industry, with a market capitalization near $14.99B, listed on AMEX, carrying a beta of 2.13 to the broader market. The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of South Korean equities. public since 2000-05-12.
Snapshot as of May 28, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $205.21
- ATM IV
- 79.1%
- IV Rank
- 92.4%
- IV Percentile
- 99.6%
- HV 20-Day
- 68.4%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- 0.084
As of May 28, 2026, iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) at $205.21 has an ATM IV of 79.1%, implying a 30-day one-standard-deviation range of approximately ±$46.53. IV rank is 92.4% (elevated, distribution priced wider than typical). IV percentile is 99.6%. The 25-delta skew is +0.084: upside tail priced richer than downside, biasing probability mass above spot. Under lognormal assumptions roughly 68% of outcomes fall within ±1σ and 95% within ±2σ; risk-neutral probability analysis refines this by extracting the market-implied distribution directly from options prices, capturing the fat tails that real markets exhibit.
How EWY probability analysis Data Feeds Strategy Selection
Strategy selection on iShares MSCI South Korea ETF options does not derive from any single metric in isolation. The probability analysis view above sits inside a broader read: ATM IV currently sits at 79.1% and dealer gamma exposure is negative, so dealer hedging amplifies directional moves. Combine the probability analysis data here with the volatility-skew surface, dealer-gamma exposure, max-pain level, and upcoming-events calendar to build a positioning thesis. Risk-defined structures (credit spreads, debit spreads, iron condors) are usually safer than naked positions while the regime is uncertain; the data on this page anchors the inputs but does not by itself constitute a trade thesis.
How to read the EWY probability distribution
The probability cone above is the option-market-implied distribution of where iShares MSCI South Korea ETF spot could end up at expiration. It's derived from the implied-volatility surface via a risk-neutral pricing transformation, not from historical realized returns. With ATM IV at 79.1% and spot at $205.21, the 1σ band is approximately ±27.3% over a 30-day horizon. Recent realized HV-20 of 68.4% runs 10.7 vol points below the current implied, suggesting the chain is pricing more dispersion than the underlying has been delivering.
EWY risk-neutral vs real-world probabilities
The probabilities derived from option prices reflect the market's risk-adjusted view, not the realized statistical distribution. Risk-neutral probabilities include the equity risk premium and skew preferences priced into options, so they tend to overstate tail probability and understate upside drift relative to actually-realized outcomes. For probability-of-touch calculations and assignment-risk modeling, risk-neutral is the right benchmark. For position-sizing your own conviction, blend with realized-volatility-based statistics from the HV columns.
Trading the EWY distribution
Probability-driven strategies aim to capture mispricings between the implied distribution and your own probability assessment. Premium-selling structures (credit spreads, iron condors, cash-secured puts) profit when the implied distribution overprices tail probability relative to realized; premium-buying (debit spreads, long calls/puts, long straddles) profits in the reverse. With EWY IV rank at 92.4%, the chain is pricing fatter tails than recent realized history; sellers earn the gap on average. Always pair probability-driven strategy selection with a stop loss or wing-defined risk - the implied distribution is a snapshot, and regime shifts can invalidate it intraday.
Learn how risk-neutral density is reported and how to read the data →
EWY highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALL | $215.00 | May 29, 2026 | 12.3K | 346 | 93.7% | $0.90 | $1.15 |
| CALL | $205.00 | May 29, 2026 | 12.3K | 359 | 89.8% | $3.90 | $4.20 |
| CALL | $210.00 | Jun 18, 2026 | 14.4K | 4.4K | 81.0% | $13.60 | $14.30 |
Top 3 contracts from the institutional-grade nightly options scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked EWY probability analysis questions
- What is the EWY 30-day expected price range?
- As of May 28, 2026, with EWY at $205.21 and ATM IV at 79.1%, the implied 30-day one-standard-deviation range is approximately ±$46.53, or about $158.68 to $251.74. IV rank is elevated, so the priced distribution is wider than the 1-year typical width.
- What does EWY risk-neutral density tell us?
- Risk-neutral density is the probability distribution of future EWY price implied by listed option prices. Extracted via Breeden-Litzenberger (twice-differentiating the call price function with respect to strike), it represents the pricing kernel rather than the real-world probability of outcomes. Persistent skew or fat-tail features in the density reflect how the market is pricing tail risk.
- How does EWY ATM IV translate to a probability range?
- ATM IV is annualized; multiplying by sqrt(t/365) scales it to the chosen tenor. Under lognormal assumptions, the resulting standard deviation defines the ±1σ band that contains roughly 68% of outcomes, ±2σ for 95%. Empirical equity returns have fatter tails than log-normal, so the implied tail probabilities under-state realized tail frequency in stressed regimes.