Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (REFI) 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.

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (REFI) operates in the Real Estate sector, specifically the REIT - Mortgage industry, with a market capitalization near $240.5M, listed on NASDAQ, carrying a beta of 0.32 to the broader market. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. Led by Anthony Robert Cappell, public since 2021-12-08.

Snapshot as of May 15, 2026.

Spot Price
$11.21
ATM IV
210.4%
IV Skew 25Δ
-0.201
IV Rank
46.2%
IV Percentile
96.0%
Term Structure Slope
-0.426

As of May 15, 2026, Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (REFI) at-the-money implied volatility is 210.4%. IV rank is 46.2% (where 0% is the 52-week low and 100% is the 52-week high). IV percentile is 96.0%. The 25-delta skew is -0.201: 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.

REFI Strategy Selection at Current Volatility Levels

For Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. options at 210.4% ATM IV, mid-range IV rank (46.2%) 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 →

Frequently asked REFI volatility skew questions

What is the current REFI ATM implied volatility?
As of May 15, 2026, Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (REFI) at-the-money implied volatility is 210.4%. IV rank is 46.2% 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 REFI 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 REFI volatility skew tell options traders?
Volatility skew is the pattern by which IV varies across strikes for a given expiration. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, 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.