Is SDP options pricing rich or cheap right now?

As of May 29, 2026, ProShares - UltraShort Utilities (SDP) ATM IV is 43.6% against 20-day realized volatility of 248.7%. IV rank is 6.2%. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied: an inversion of the typical equity volatility risk premium that often precedes IV expansion.

What is the SDP 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. SDP 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 SDP 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. SDP's current rank of 6.2% 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.

ProShares - UltraShort Utilities (SDP) 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.

ProShares - UltraShort Utilities (SDP) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management - Leveraged industry, with a market capitalization near $4.2M, listed on AMEX, carrying a beta of -0.95 to the broader market. ProShares UltraShort Utilities seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times the inverse (-2x) of the daily performance of the S&P Utilities Select SectorSM Index. public since 2007-03-14.

Snapshot as of May 29, 2026.

Spot Price: $22.92
ATM IV: 43.6%
HV 20-Day: 248.7%
HV 60-Day: 147.2%
IV Rank: 6.2%
IV Percentile: 62.3%

As of May 29, 2026, ProShares - UltraShort Utilities (SDP) ATM implied volatility is 43.6%. 20-day realized volatility is 248.7%, producing an IV-HV spread of -205.1 vol points. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied, an inversion that can signal a pending IV expansion. IV rank is 6.2%.

How SDP iv/hv history Data Feeds Strategy Selection

Strategy selection on ProShares - UltraShort Utilities 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 43.6% 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 SDP 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 43.6%, 6.2% IV rank, against 248.7% realized over the trailing 20 trading days. Implied is currently below realized by 205.1 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.

SDP IV/HV regimes and trade selection

SDP 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 SDP 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. Contango (positive slope 0.150) is the resting state - longer-dated IV trades above near-dated IV because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states. Pair the rank read with the slope read with the event calendar to choose the right tenor for the structure.

SDP 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. SDP's current 6.2% 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 (248.7%) to HV-60 (147.2%) 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 SDP over the last ~41 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.

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 15 trading days (descending). Older history appears in the chart above.

Date	ATM IV	HV 20d	HV 60d	IV Rank
May 29, 2026	43.6%	248.7%	147.2%	6.2%
May 28, 2026	104.2%	250.5%	147.3%	20.3%
May 27, 2026	35.5%	36.3%	34.6%	4.3%
May 26, 2026	32.0%	35.8%	34.5%	3.5%
May 22, 2026	29.7%	35.8%	34.8%	2.9%
May 21, 2026	32.4%	35.1%	34.5%	3.6%
May 20, 2026	29.9%	40.5%	34.5%	3.0%
May 19, 2026	34.9%	40.1%	34.6%	4.1%
May 18, 2026	25.9%	40.3%	34.3%	2.0%
May 15, 2026	23.2%	40.5%	34.4%	1.4%
May 14, 2026	32.6%	38.4%	33.8%	3.6%
May 13, 2026	33.6%	38.6%	34.6%	3.8%
May 12, 2026	30.3%	38.3%	34.1%	3.1%
May 11, 2026	61.1%	38.5%	35.2%	10.2%
May 8, 2026	53.0%	38.8%	35.9%	8.4%

Frequently asked SDP iv/hv history questions

Is SDP options pricing rich or cheap right now?: As of May 29, 2026, ProShares - UltraShort Utilities (SDP) ATM IV is 43.6% against 20-day realized volatility of 248.7%. IV rank is 6.2%. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied: an inversion of the typical equity volatility risk premium that often precedes IV expansion.
What is the SDP 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. SDP 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 SDP 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. SDP's current rank of 6.2% 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.