What is the current VIXM expected move?

As of Jun 30, 2026, ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM) has an expected move of 82.28% over the next 17 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $2.54 to $26.18 from the current $14.36. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.

What does the VIXM 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 VIXM 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.

ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM) 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.

ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, with a market capitalization near $44.9M, listed on CBOE, carrying a beta of -0.97 to the broader market. The Fund seeks to provide investment results (before fees and expenses) that match the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures Index. public since 2011-01-04.

Snapshot as of Jun 30, 2026.

Spot Price: $14.36
Expected Move: 82.3%
Implied High: $26.18
Implied Low: $2.54
Front DTE: 17 days

As of Jun 30, 2026, ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM) has an expected move of 82.28%, a one-standard-deviation implied price range of roughly $2.54 to $26.18 from the current $14.36. 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.

VIXM Strategy Sizing to the Expected Move

With ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF pricing an expected move of 82.28% from $14.36, 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.

How to read the VIXM implied-range chart

The shaded range above shows the one-standard-deviation implied price band at each listed expiration, derived from ATM implied volatility scaled to days-to-expiration. The front-tenor expected move is 82.28%, anchoring an implied range of approximately $2.54 to $26.18. Under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside that band; 95% fall inside ±2σ; 99.7% inside ±3σ. The empirical equity-return distribution has fatter tails than lognormal, so true tail-outcome frequency is moderately higher than these closed-form numbers suggest.

VIXM expected move and event pricing

Expected move widens with √time: a 5% 30-day move corresponds to roughly a 2.5% 7.5-day move and a 10% 120-day move. VIXM term-structure is in contango (slope 0.181), so longer-dated tenors price in proportionally more vol than √time scaling alone would suggest - typically because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states.

Sizing VIXM structures to the expected move

Iron condors with wings at ±1σ collect the modal-outcome premium; ±1.5σ widens probability of inside-range to ~87% but cuts collected premium roughly in half. Strangles do the inverse trade - they pay against the same lognormal distribution, profiting when realized exceeds implied. Calendar spreads bet on the slope of the term structure rather than the level. VIXM put/call volume ratio currently at 0.00 indicates speculative call flow dominates - look for upside-skewed sentiment. The expected move is the inputs the chain is pricing, not a forecast - realized moves above or below are normal under any distribution.

Learn how expected move is reported and how to read the data →

Shaded band shows the ±1σ implied price range (~68% probability under lognormal assumptions) at each expiration; the center line marks current spot. Bands widen with longer DTE since volatility scales with √time.

Per-expiration expected move for VIXM derived from ATM implied volatility at each listed expiration. Implied high/low bounds are computed as $14.36 × (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
Jul 17, 2026	17	30.2%	6.5%	$15.30	$13.42
Aug 21, 2026	52	48.3%	18.2%	$16.98	$11.74
Sep 18, 2026	80	31.4%	14.7%	$16.47	$12.25
Dec 18, 2026	171	35.9%	24.6%	$17.89	$10.83
Jan 15, 2027	199	37.9%	28.0%	$18.38	$10.34
Mar 19, 2027	262	40.2%	34.1%	$19.25	$9.47
Jun 17, 2027	352	45.9%	45.1%	$20.83	$7.89

VIXM highest implied-volatility contracts

Type	Strike	Expiration	Volume	OI	IV	Bid	Ask
CALL	$13.00	Jul 17, 2026	0	431	955.9%	$1.30	$1.95

Top 1 contracts from the institutional-grade nightly options scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.

Frequently asked VIXM expected move questions

What is the current VIXM expected move?: As of Jun 30, 2026, ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM) has an expected move of 82.28% over the next 17 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $2.54 to $26.18 from the current $14.36. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.
What does the VIXM 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 VIXM 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.