Element Solutions Inc (ESI) Volatility Skew
Implied volatility skew shows how IV varies across strike prices for a given expiration. Steeper skews indicate higher demand for downside protection relative to upside speculation.
Element Solutions Inc (ESI) operates in the Basic Materials sector, specifically the Chemicals - Specialty industry, with a market capitalization near $10.77B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 5,300 people, carrying a beta of 1.28 to the broader market. Element Solutions Inc operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United States, China, and internationally. Led by Benjamin Gliklich, public since 2013-10-22.
Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $42.32
- ATM IV
- 48.1%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- 0.122
- IV Rank
- 49.4%
- IV Percentile
- 83.7%
- Term Structure Slope
- 0.013
As of May 15, 2026, Element Solutions Inc (ESI) at-the-money implied volatility is 48.1%. IV rank is 49.4% (where 0% is the 52-week low and 100% is the 52-week high). IV percentile is 83.7%. The 25-delta skew is +0.122: calls carry premium over puts, indicating upside speculation or squeeze risk. High IV rank typically favors premium-selling strategies; low IV rank favors premium-buying.
ESI Strategy Selection at Current Volatility Levels
For Element Solutions Inc options at 48.1% ATM IV, mid-range IV rank (49.4%) is the regime where directional conviction matters more than vol-regime positioning; strategy choice should follow the event calendar and the dealer-positioning view rather than IV rank alone. The 25-delta skew tilts to calls, so call-credit spreads or covered-call writes harvest more premium than put-credit spreads of the same width. Pair the vol-rank read with the dealer-gamma view and the upcoming-events calendar to confirm the strategy fits both the structural regime and the path-dependent risk. The variance risk premium - the persistent gap between implied and subsequently realized vol - is positive in equity markets on average; high IV rank typically reflects a stretch where the premium is wider than usual.
Learn how volatility skew is reported and how to read the data →
ESI highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUT | $41.00 | Jun 18, 2026 | 44 | 7.1K | 49.9% | $1.70 | $2.25 |
| CALL | $41.00 | Aug 21, 2026 | 0 | 5.3K | 45.6% | $3.40 | $5.70 |
Top 2 contracts from the ORATS-sourced nightly scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked ESI volatility skew questions
- What is the current ESI ATM implied volatility?
- As of May 15, 2026, Element Solutions Inc (ESI) at-the-money implied volatility is 48.1%. IV rank is 49.4% on a 0-100% scale anchored to the 1-year IV range. ATM IV is the volatility input that makes a Black-Scholes-equivalent model reproduce the listed at-the-money option prices.
- Is ESI IV high or low historically?
- IV is near its 1-year median, a regime where strategy choice depends on directional conviction and event calendar rather than vol regime.
- What does ESI volatility skew tell options traders?
- Volatility skew is the pattern by which IV varies across strikes for a given expiration. Element Solutions Inc shows upside-skewed pricing: 25-delta calls trade richer than 25-delta puts, often reflecting upside speculation or squeeze risk. Skew matters for risk-defined strategy selection: when downside puts are rich, put-credit spreads capture more premium; when upside calls are rich, call-credit spreads or covered-call writes harvest more.