Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X ETF (LABD) 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.
Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X ETF (LABD) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management - Leveraged industry, with a market capitalization near $18.1M, listed on AMEX, carrying a beta of -3.18 to the broader market. The Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull and Bear 3X ETFs are designed to deliver daily investment returns reflecting triple (300%) the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index, or triple its inverse (opposite) performance, before factoring in any fees or expenses. public since 2015-05-28.
Snapshot as of Jul 15, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $7.92
- ATM IV
- 105.1%
- IV Rank
- 53.8%
- IV Percentile
- 91.3%
- HV 20-Day
- 117.5%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- -0.086
As of Jul 15, 2026, Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X ETF (LABD) at $7.92 has an ATM IV of 105.1%, implying a 30-day one-standard-deviation range of approximately ±$2.39. IV rank is 53.8% (near its 1-year median). IV percentile is 91.3%. The 25-delta skew is -0.086: downside tail priced richer than upside, biasing probability mass below 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 LABD probability analysis Data Feeds Strategy Selection
Strategy selection on Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X 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 105.1% and dealer gamma exposure is positive, so dealer hedging is mechanically mean-reverting. 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 LABD probability distribution
The probability cone above is the option-market-implied distribution of where Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X 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 105.1% and spot at $7.92, the 1σ band is approximately ±36.3% over a 30-day horizon. Recent realized HV-20 of 117.5% runs 12.4 vol points above current implied, an inverted regime where premium buyers are underpaying.
LABD 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. LABD's put-skewed 25-delta surface (-0.086) means downside risk-neutral probabilities are higher than upside - the empirical bias is well-documented. 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 LABD 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. 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 →
LABD highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALL | $7.00 | Jul 17, 2026 | 5 | 183 | 916.4% | $0.80 | $1.50 |
| CALL | $8.00 | Jul 17, 2026 | 39 | 812 | 499.4% | $0.15 | $0.25 |
Top 2 contracts from the institutional-grade nightly options scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked LABD probability analysis questions
- What is the LABD 30-day expected price range?
- As of Jul 15, 2026, with LABD at $7.92 and ATM IV at 105.1%, the implied 30-day one-standard-deviation range is approximately ±$2.39, or about $5.53 to $10.31.
- What does LABD risk-neutral density tell us?
- Risk-neutral density is the probability distribution of future LABD 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 LABD 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.