Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) 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.
Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) operates in the Communication Services sector, specifically the Telecommunications Services industry, with a market capitalization near $4.56B, listed on NASDAQ, employing roughly 873 people, carrying a beta of 0.80 to the broader market. Iridium Communications Inc. Led by Matthew J. Desch, public since 2008-03-20.
Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $42.10
- ATM IV
- 67.3%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- -0.075
- IV Rank
- 54.0%
- IV Percentile
- 80.2%
- Term Structure Slope
- -0.027
As of May 15, 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) at-the-money implied volatility is 67.3%. IV rank is 54.0% (where 0% is the 52-week low and 100% is the 52-week high). IV percentile is 80.2%. The 25-delta skew is -0.075: puts carry meaningful premium over calls, a classic equity downside-protection skew. High IV rank typically favors premium-selling strategies; low IV rank favors premium-buying.
IRDM Strategy Selection at Current Volatility Levels
For Iridium Communications Inc. options at 67.3% ATM IV, mid-range IV rank (54.0%) 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 is meaningfully put-skewed, so put-credit spreads capture more premium for the same width than call-credit spreads. 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 →
IRDM highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALL | $45.00 | Jun 18, 2026 | 368 | 8.3K | 70.9% | $2.30 | $2.60 |
Top 1 contracts from the ORATS-sourced nightly scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked IRDM volatility skew questions
- What is the current IRDM ATM implied volatility?
- As of May 15, 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) at-the-money implied volatility is 67.3%. IV rank is 54.0% 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 IRDM 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 IRDM volatility skew tell options traders?
- Volatility skew is the pattern by which IV varies across strikes for a given expiration. Iridium Communications Inc. carries the typical equity downside-protection skew: 25-delta puts price meaningfully richer than 25-delta calls. 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.