QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) 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.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) operates in the Technology sector, specifically the Semiconductors industry, with a market capitalization near $224.68B, listed on NASDAQ, employing roughly 49,000 people, carrying a beta of 1.49 to the broader market. QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development and commercialization of foundational technologies for the wireless industry worldwide. Led by Cristiano Renno Amon, public since 1991-12-13.
Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $204.24
- ATM IV
- 67.2%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- -0.076
- IV Rank
- 74.3%
- IV Percentile
- 98.0%
- Term Structure Slope
- -0.019
As of May 15, 2026, QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) at-the-money implied volatility is 67.2%. IV rank is 74.3% (where 0% is the 52-week low and 100% is the 52-week high). IV percentile is 98.0%. The 25-delta skew is -0.076: 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.
QCOM Strategy Selection at Current Volatility Levels
For QUALCOMM Incorporated options at 67.2% ATM IV, high IV rank (74.3%) favors premium-selling structures: credit spreads, iron condors, covered calls, cash-secured puts. The risk: a continued vol expansion through high-rank levels is rare but expensive when it happens. 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 →
QCOM highest implied-volatility contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUT | $148.00 | May 22, 2026 | 2.5K | 106 | 99.7% | $0.04 | $0.12 |
| PUT | $200.00 | Jun 26, 2026 | 1.7K | 106 | 69.3% | $16.00 | $17.30 |
Top 2 contracts from the ORATS-sourced nightly scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked QCOM volatility skew questions
- What is the current QCOM ATM implied volatility?
- As of May 15, 2026, QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) at-the-money implied volatility is 67.2%. IV rank is 74.3% 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 QCOM IV high or low historically?
- IV is elevated relative to its 1-year history, conditions that typically favor premium-selling strategies (credit spreads, iron condors, covered calls).
- What does QCOM volatility skew tell options traders?
- Volatility skew is the pattern by which IV varies across strikes for a given expiration. QUALCOMM Incorporated 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.