MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF (MLPI) IV/HV History

Comparing implied volatility to historical (realized) volatility reveals whether options are priced rich or cheap relative to actual price movement. Persistent gaps can signal trading opportunities.

MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF (MLPI) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management - Income industry, with a market capitalization near $235.4M, listed on CBOE, carrying a beta of -0.20 to the broader market. The NEOS MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF is structured to provide investors with significant monthly payouts, optimized for tax efficiency, while also pursuing opportunities for capital appreciation. Led by J. Garrett Stevens, public since 2025-12-18.

Snapshot as of Aug 28, 2026.

Spot Price
$54.36
ATM IV
16.2%
HV 20-Day
557.7%
HV 60-Day
324.3%
IV Rank
2.7%
IV Percentile
1.6%

As of Aug 28, 2026, MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF (MLPI) ATM implied volatility is 16.2%. 20-day realized volatility is 557.7%, producing an IV-HV spread of -541.5 vol points. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied, an inversion that can signal a pending IV expansion. IV rank is 2.7%.

How MLPI iv/hv history Data Feeds Strategy Selection

Strategy selection on MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF options does not derive from any single metric in isolation. The iv/hv history view above sits inside a broader read: ATM IV currently sits at 16.2% and dealer gamma exposure is negative, so dealer hedging amplifies directional moves. Combine the iv/hv history 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 MLPI IV vs HV chart

The dual-line chart above tracks ATM implied volatility (forward-looking, what the chain is pricing) against 20-day realized historical volatility (backward-looking, what actually happened). ATM IV currently prints at 16.2%, 2.7% IV rank, against 557.7% realized over the trailing 20 trading days. Implied is currently below realized by 541.5 vol points, an inverted regime where premium buyers are underpaying for the move - rare and often a setup for IV expansion. Persistent IV-above-HV is the variance-risk-premium-positive state typical of equity markets; persistent IV-below-HV is rare and usually marks underpriced vol that often expands.

MLPI IV/HV regimes and trade selection

MLPI sits in the bottom quartile of its 1-year IV range. Low-IV-rank regimes favor premium-buying or long-vol structures - long calls/puts, debit spreads, calendar spreads, long straddles. The risk: low rank can persist for months while theta decay eats premium-buyers alive without a vol-expansion catalyst.

Using MLPI vol history alongside the term structure

The IV/HV gap on this page captures the level of premium; the term-structure slope on the volatility page captures its shape across expirations. Term structure is roughly flat at -0.002, no strong near vs far premium being priced. Pair the rank read with the slope read with the event calendar to choose the right tenor for the structure.

MLPI IV/HV signal in volatility-cycle context

Equity-vol cycles tend to compress and expand on multi-month timeframes: a typical sequence runs low-IV-rank consolidation (months of flat tape, decaying premium) into a vol-expansion catalyst (earnings miss, macro shock, regime change) into elevated-IV-rank stress (premiums fat, dispersion high) back to mean-reverting compression. MLPI's current 2.7% IV rank places the ticker in the compression phase of that cycle. Compression phases are profitable for theta-harvesting structures but tend to end with abrupt vol-expansion regimes that hit short-vol books fast. The ratio of HV-20 (557.7%) to HV-60 (324.3%) gives a second cycle indicator: when 20-day exceeds 60-day, recent realization is running hotter than the trailing-quarter average - typically a sign that recent days have already started expanding vol regardless of where IV rank prints. Use the time series above to spot inflection points: meaningful IV/HV gap closures and openings tend to precede regime shifts by a few sessions.

Learn how implied vs realized volatility is reported and how to read the data →

Daily ATM implied volatility and 20-day realized (historical) volatility for MLPI over the last ~12 trading days. The IV-HV gap measures the variance risk premium - when IV trades persistently above realized HV, premium-sellers earn the spread; when IV dips below HV, vol is structurally underpriced.

MLPI ATM implied volatility versus 20-day realized volatility over the last several weeksMLPI Implied vs Realized Volatility100%200%300%400%500%08-1308-1708-1908-2108-2508-27Trading DayVolatilityATM IVHV 20d
Daily values from end-of-day option_ticker_snapshots. Series sparse on illiquid tickers reflects gaps in the upstream end-of-day options data feed.

Most recent 12 trading days (descending). Older history appears in the chart above.

DateATM IVHV 20dHV 60dIV Rank
Aug 28, 202616.2%557.7%324.3%2.7%
Aug 27, 202617.4%557.9%324.2%3.4%
Aug 26, 202617.4%557.4%324.3%3.4%
Aug 25, 202615.2%556.7%324.3%2.2%
Aug 24, 202614.2%557.8%324.3%1.7%
Aug 21, 202616.8%557.3%324.5%3.0%
Aug 20, 202617.6%557.1%324.4%3.5%
Aug 19, 202617.5%556.9%324.5%3.4%
Aug 18, 202629.7%556.2%324.4%9.6%
Aug 17, 202621.0%556.6%324.5%5.2%
Aug 14, 202613.3%556.3%324.5%1.3%
Aug 13, 202610.8%557.5%324.6%0.0%

Frequently asked MLPI iv/hv history questions

Is MLPI options pricing rich or cheap right now?
As of Aug 28, 2026, MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF (MLPI) ATM IV is 16.2% against 20-day realized volatility of 557.7%. IV rank is 2.7%. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied: an inversion of the typical equity volatility risk premium that often precedes IV expansion.
What is the MLPI variance risk premium?
The variance risk premium is the persistent gap between implied and subsequently realized volatility. In equity markets it averages positive because option sellers demand compensation for bearing variance shocks. MLPI is currently pricing inverted to the historical pattern, which is one input to whether short-vol or long-vol structures carry their typical edge.
What does MLPI IV rank mean for strategy selection?
IV rank normalizes the current ATM IV to its 1-year range: 0% is the low, 100% is the high. MLPI's current rank of 2.7% signals where current pricing sits in its own 1-year history. High-rank regimes typically favor premium-selling structures (credit spreads, condors, covered calls); low-rank regimes typically favor premium-buying or long-volatility structures.