Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS) Probability Analysis
Probability analysis extracts the risk-neutral probability distribution implied by option prices. It shows the market-implied likelihood of the underlying reaching various price levels by expiration.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS) operates in the Basic Materials sector, specifically the Steel industry, with a market capitalization near $20.63B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 15,700 people, carrying a beta of 0.95 to the broader market. Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. Led by Karla R. Lewis, public since 1994-09-16.
Snapshot as of Oct 13, 2026.
- Spot Price
- $405.04
- ATM IV
- 27.4%
- IV Rank
- 37.1%
- IV Percentile
- 46.4%
- HV 20-Day
- 24.4%
- IV Skew 25Δ
- 0.076
As of Oct 13, 2026, Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS) at $405.04 has an ATM IV of 27.4%, implying a 30-day one-standard-deviation range of approximately ±$31.82. IV rank is 37.1% (near its 1-year median). IV percentile is 46.4%. The 25-delta skew is +0.076: upside tail priced richer than downside, biasing probability mass above spot. Under lognormal assumptions roughly 68% of outcomes fall within ±1σ and 95% within ±2σ; risk-neutral probability analysis refines this by extracting the market-implied distribution directly from options prices, capturing the fat tails that real markets exhibit.
How RS probability analysis Data Feeds Strategy Selection
Strategy selection on Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. options does not derive from any single metric in isolation. The probability analysis view above sits inside a broader read: ATM IV currently sits at 27.4% and dealer gamma exposure is positive, so dealer hedging is mechanically mean-reverting. Combine the probability analysis data here with the volatility-skew surface, dealer-gamma exposure, max-pain level, and upcoming-events calendar to build a positioning thesis. Risk-defined structures (credit spreads, debit spreads, iron condors) are usually safer than naked positions while the regime is uncertain; the data on this page anchors the inputs but does not by itself constitute a trade thesis.
How to read the RS probability distribution
The probability cone above is the option-market-implied distribution of where Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. spot could end up at expiration. It's derived from the implied-volatility surface via a risk-neutral pricing transformation, not from historical realized returns. With ATM IV at 27.4% and spot at $405.04, the 1σ band is approximately ±9.5% over a 30-day horizon. Recent realized HV-20 of 24.4% runs 3.0 vol points below the current implied, suggesting the chain is pricing more dispersion than the underlying has been delivering.
RS risk-neutral vs real-world probabilities
The probabilities derived from option prices reflect the market's risk-adjusted view, not the realized statistical distribution. Risk-neutral probabilities include the equity risk premium and skew preferences priced into options, so they tend to overstate tail probability and understate upside drift relative to actually-realized outcomes. For probability-of-touch calculations and assignment-risk modeling, risk-neutral is the right benchmark. For position-sizing your own conviction, blend with realized-volatility-based statistics from the HV columns.
Trading the RS distribution
Probability-driven strategies aim to capture mispricings between the implied distribution and your own probability assessment. Premium-selling structures (credit spreads, iron condors, cash-secured puts) profit when the implied distribution overprices tail probability relative to realized; premium-buying (debit spreads, long calls/puts, long straddles) profits in the reverse. Always pair probability-driven strategy selection with a stop loss or wing-defined risk - the implied distribution is a snapshot, and regime shifts can invalidate it intraday.
Learn how risk-neutral density is reported and how to read the data →
Frequently asked RS probability analysis questions
- What is the RS 30-day expected price range?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, with RS at $405.04 and ATM IV at 27.4%, the implied 30-day one-standard-deviation range is approximately ±$31.82, or about $373.22 to $436.86.
- What does RS risk-neutral density tell us?
- Risk-neutral density is the probability distribution of future RS price implied by listed option prices. Extracted via Breeden-Litzenberger (twice-differentiating the call price function with respect to strike), it represents the pricing kernel rather than the real-world probability of outcomes. Persistent skew or fat-tail features in the density reflect how the market is pricing tail risk.
- How does RS ATM IV translate to a probability range?
- ATM IV is annualized; multiplying by sqrt(t/365) scales it to the chosen tenor. Under lognormal assumptions, the resulting standard deviation defines the ±1σ band that contains roughly 68% of outcomes, ±2σ for 95%. Empirical equity returns have fatter tails than log-normal, so the implied tail probabilities under-state realized tail frequency in stressed regimes.