iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (SCJ) Expected Move
Expected move estimates the probable price range for a given period based on at-the-money options pricing. It reflects the market consensus for volatility over the selected timeframe.
iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (SCJ) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, with a market capitalization near $190.6M, listed on AMEX, carrying a beta of 0.83 to the broader market. The iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of small-capitalization Japanese equities. public since 2007-12-27.
Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $104.60
- Expected Move
- 7.9%
- Implied High
- $112.82
- Implied Low
- $96.38
- Front DTE
- 34 days
As of May 15, 2026, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (SCJ) has an expected move of 7.86%, a one-standard-deviation implied price range of roughly $96.38 to $112.82 from the current $104.60. Expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market's pricing of a ±1σ move. Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within this range under lognormal assumptions, though empirical markets have fatter tails.
SCJ Strategy Sizing to the Expected Move
With iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF pricing an expected move of 7.86% from $104.60, risk-defined strategies sized to the implied range structurally target the modal outcome distribution. Iron condors with wings at the ±1σ expected move boundaries collect premium against the ~68% probability that spot stays inside the range under lognormal assumptions; strangles set wider at ±1.5σ or ±2σ target the tails but pay smaller per-trade premium. Long-vol structures (long straddles, ratio backspreads) profit when realized move exceeds the implied move, the inverse trade: they bet against the lognormal assumption itself, capitalizing on the empirically fatter equity-return tails.
Learn how expected move is reported and how to read the data →
Per-expiration expected move for SCJ derived from ATM implied volatility at each listed expiration. Implied high/low bounds are computed as $104.60 × (1 ± expected move %). One standard-deviation range under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside.
| Expiration | DTE | ATM IV | Expected Move | Implied High | Implied Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2026 | 34 | 27.4% | 8.4% | $113.35 | $95.85 |
| Jul 17, 2026 | 63 | 20.9% | 8.7% | $113.68 | $95.52 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 126 | 19.9% | 11.7% | $116.83 | $92.37 |
| Dec 18, 2026 | 217 | 21.2% | 16.3% | $121.70 | $87.50 |
Frequently asked SCJ expected move questions
- What is the current SCJ expected move?
- As of May 15, 2026, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (SCJ) has an expected move of 7.86% over the next 34 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $96.38 to $112.82 from the current $104.60. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.
- What does the SCJ expected move mean for traders?
- Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within ±1 expected move and 95% within ±2 under lognormal assumptions, though equity returns have empirically fatter tails than log-normal predicts. Strategies sized to the expected move (iron condors at ±1σ, strangles at ±1.5σ) target the typical outcome distribution; strategies that profit from tail moves (long-vol structures, ratio backspreads) target the tails the lognormal model under-prices.
- How is SCJ expected move calculated?
- The expected move displayed here is derived from at-the-money implied volatility scaled to the chosen tenor: expected move % is approximately ATM IV times sqrt(T / 365), where T is days to expiration. An equivalent straddle-based form: the ATM straddle (call + put at the same strike) is roughly sqrt(2/pi) times spot times IV times sqrt(T/365), so the implied one-standard-deviation move is approximately 1.25 times ATM straddle divided by spot. The two formulations agree once the sqrt(2/pi) constant is reconciled.