VSGX Straddle Strategy

VSGX (Vanguard ESG International Stock ETF), in the Financial Services sector, (Asset Management - Global industry), listed on CBOE.

This exchange-traded fund (ETF) aims to replicate the investment performance of the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Choice Index. It builds its portfolio from a broad selection of international companies, spanning large, mid, and small market capitalizations, with individual holdings weighted by their market value. The fund employs a passively managed, index-sampling strategy, meticulously applying environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) screens to its holdings. It systematically excludes businesses involved in sectors such as adult entertainment, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and gambling. Additionally, it steers clear of companies linked to controversial weapons, including chemical and biological weapons, cluster munitions, anti-personnel landmines, nuclear weapons, conventional military systems, and civilian firearms. The fund also eschews companies significantly involved in nuclear power generation or those with substantial ties to fossil fuels, encompassing coal, oil, and natural gas.

VSGX (Vanguard ESG International Stock ETF) trades in the Financial Services sector, specifically Asset Management - Global, with a market capitalization of approximately $6.67B, a beta of 0.97 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 64.16-85.16, average daily share volume of 185K, a public-listing history dating back to 2018. These structural characteristics shape how VSGX etf options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 0.97 places VSGX roughly in line with broader market moves, so the strategy payoff and realized volatility track the index-equivalent baseline. VSGX pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.

What is a straddle on VSGX?

A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration.

Current VSGX snapshot

As of June 30, 2026, spot at $83.16, ATM IV 30.80%, IV rank 21.87%, expected move 8.83%. The straddle on VSGX below is built from the same end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 52-day expiry.

Why this straddle structure on VSGX specifically: VSGX IV at 30.80% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a VSGX straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 8.83% (roughly $7.34 on the underlying). The 52-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated VSGX expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on VSGX should anchor to the underlying notional of $83.16 per share and to the trader's directional view on VSGX etf.

VSGX straddle setup

The VSGX straddle below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With VSGX near $83.16, the first option leg uses a $83.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed VSGX chain at a 52-day expiry; the cross-strike IV skew is reflected directly in the per-leg values rather than approximated. Quantity sizing assumes one contract per option leg (or 100 VSGX shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

ActionTypeStrike / BasisPremium (est)
Buy 1Call$83.00$1.32
Buy 1Put$83.00$2.53

VSGX straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit
-$384.50
Max Profit (per contract)
Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract)
-$359.21
Breakeven(s)
$79.16, $86.85
Risk / Reward Ratio
Unbounded

Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit.

VSGX straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on VSGX. Each row is one sampled price point from the computed payoff curve; the full curve uses 200 price points internally before being summarized into 10 rows here.

VSGX straddle profit and loss curve at expiration with breakevens and current spot markedVSGX straddle payoff at expiration$0$2000$4000$6000$20$40$60$80$100$120$140$160Underlying Price ($)P&L at Expiration ($)BE $79.16BE $86.84Spot $83.16
P&L at expiration across the modeled underlying-price range. Green shading marks profitable regions, red shading marks loss regions. Dotted purple verticals mark breakevens; the solid dark vertical marks current spot.
Underlying Price% From SpotP&L at Expiration
$0.01-100.0%+$7,914.50
$18.40-77.9%+$6,075.90
$36.78-55.8%+$4,237.29
$55.17-33.7%+$2,398.69
$73.55-11.6%+$560.09
$91.94+10.6%+$509.52
$110.33+32.7%+$2,348.12
$128.71+54.8%+$4,186.72
$147.10+76.9%+$6,025.32
$165.48+99.0%+$7,863.93

When traders use straddle on VSGX

Straddles on VSGX are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy VSGX straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.

VSGX thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for VSGX extends from approximately $75.82 on the downside to $90.50 on the upside. A VSGX long straddle is a pure-volatility play: it profits when the underlying moves far enough from the strike in either direction to overcome the combined call plus put debit, regardless of direction. Current VSGX IV rank near 21.87% sits in the lower third of its 1-year distribution, where IV often re-expands toward the mean; this favors premium-buying structures and disadvantages premium-selling structures on VSGX at 30.80%. As a Financial Services name, VSGX options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to VSGX-specific events.

VSGX straddle positions are structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium); the modeled P&L assumes European-style exercise at expiration and ignores early assignment, transaction costs, dividends paid before expiry on the stock leg (when present), and the bid-ask spread on the listed chain. VSGX positions also carry Financial Services sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move VSGX alongside the broader basket even when VSGX-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current VSGX chain quotes before placing a trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on VSGX?
A straddle on VSGX is the straddle strategy applied to VSGX (etf). The strategy is structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium): A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration. With VSGX etf trading near $83.16, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed VSGX chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are VSGX straddle max profit and max loss calculated?
Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit. For the VSGX straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 30.80%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$359.21 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a VSGX straddle?
The breakeven for the VSGX straddle priced on this page is roughly $79.16 and $86.85 at expiration, derived from end-of-day chain premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The current VSGX market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 8.83%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on VSGX?
Straddles on VSGX are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy VSGX straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
How does current VSGX implied volatility affect this straddle?
VSGX ATM IV is at 30.80% with IV rank near 21.87%, which is on the low end of its 1-year range. Premium-buying structures (long call, long put, debit spreads) are relatively cheap in this regime; premium-selling structures collect less credit per unit risk.

Related VSGX analysis