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Plain meanings for 621 market and trading terms, each linked to the lesson that teaches it.

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    Chapter 4: Dealer Flow and Volatility

    59 terms, drawn from GhostWire Ch.8, 9, 17, 27 and Advanced Ch.11

    0-91 term

    0DTE#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    An option that expires the same day
    RelatedDeltaGammaOpex
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.5GhostWire Ch.8GhostWire Ch.17

    A3 terms

    Acceptance and retest#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Acceptance: consecutive closes beyond the level. Retest: a later pullback that comes back to the level
    RelatedTouch, poke and close beyondCall wallDaily sigma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    AM and PM settlement#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Monthly SPX options settle on a morning value; SPXW options settle at the close
    RelatedSettlement dateTouch, poke and close beyondSpecial Opening Quotation
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    At-the-money straddle#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A call and a put at the same strike near the stock price
    RelatedStraddleATM straddle and implied moveSmart Money and Dumb Money Confidence
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11

    B1 term

    Base volatility#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The volatility the stock shows on ordinary days with no scheduled event
    RelatedImplied volatility (IV)At-the-money straddleImplied event move
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11

    C5 terms

    Call wall#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The strike with the largest call-side gamma
    RelatedCall wall and put wallPut wallGamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    Call wall and put wall#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The strikes carrying the largest call-side and put-side gamma
    RelatedGammaCall wallPut wall
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Charm#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The change in delta caused by time alone
    RelatedDeltaVannaGamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8GhostWire Ch.17Advanced Ch.6
    Constant maturity#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A fund that keeps its average time to expiry near fixed by moving weight a little each day from the front month to the second month
    RelatedRelative importance (weight)Constant-product invariantVIX future
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Contango and backwardation#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Contango: later maturities cost more than earlier ones. Backwardation: they cost less
    RelatedVVIXSkewVIX future
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27

    D5 terms

    Daily sigma#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    One standard daily move implied by volatility, about volatility / 15.9
    RelatedRealized volatilityGamma squeezePut wall
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    Dealer convention#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The assumption that dealers are long the calls and short the puts customers trade against
    RelatedMarket maker (dealer)Bid-to-cover, tail, dealer takedownDealer hedging
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17
    Delta#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    How much an option price moves per 1.00 move in the stock, about 0.50 at the money
    RelatedDelta hedgeGammaHeadline and delta-adjusted notional
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.5GhostWire Ch.8GhostWire Ch.17
    Delta hedge#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Holding shares or futures opposite to the option’s delta so the whole position is neutral to small price moves
    RelatedDeltaDelta hedge and re-hedgeHeadline and delta-adjusted notional
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17
    Dominance and shelf#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    How far the top strike leads the runner-up; a shelf is a cluster of near-equal strikes
    RelatedClusterAM and PM settlementTouch, poke and close beyond
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9

    E2 terms

    ETP, ETN, inverse product#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    An exchange-traded product; an ETN is an unsecured note of its issuer; an inverse product aims for the opposite of the daily move
    RelatedInverse-volatility weightsRate productBreak-even product
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Event variance#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The part of the front-expiration variance assigned to the report day
    RelatedVarianceTotal varianceMinimum-variance ratio (h*)
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.25Advanced Ch.11

    F2 terms

    Feedback gain (k)#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Hedge flow per 1% move divided by depth, with a sign: positive when dealers trade with the move
    RelatedMarket maker (dealer)HedgeLong gamma and short gamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Form 13F#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A quarterly public list of long positions in qualifying securities, as of the quarter-end date, filed within 45 days
    RelatedForm 144Form 3, Form 4, Form 5Dealer convention
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17

    G4 terms

    Gamma#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    How fast delta changes per 1.00 move in the stock
    RelatedDeltaGamma scalpingCall wall and put wall
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.5GhostWire Ch.8GhostWire Ch.17Advanced Ch.6
    Gamma flip and regime#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The spot price where net GEX crosses zero, and the positive or negative side price is trading on
    RelatedNet GEXGamma flip (zero-gamma level)Regime and dominant driver
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    Gamma flip (zero-gamma level)#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The spot price where net GEX changes sign
    RelatedNet GEXGamma flip and regimeGamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Gamma squeeze#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A rise that forces dealers short calls to buy stock, which lifts the price further
    RelatedMarket maker (dealer)Gamma flip and regimeCall wall
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9

    H1 term

    Headline and delta-adjusted notional#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Contracts × 100 × underlying price, versus the same figure weighted by delta
    RelatedDeltaDelta-adjusted notionalDelta hedge
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17

    I7 terms

    Implied event move#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The one-standard-deviation size of the event, as priced
    RelatedOne-standard-deviation moveRealized volatilityIV percentile
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11
    Implied volatility#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The annualized move that option prices imply, backed out of option premiums
    RelatedImplied volatility (IV)Term structureVVIX
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Implied volatility and a volatility point#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The volatility an option’s price implies; one point is one percentage point, such as 20% to 19%
    RelatedBasis point (bp)Vol pointSpecial Opening Quotation
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17
    Implied volatility (IV)#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The annualized volatility that makes a model price match the option price
    RelatedImplied volatilityTerm structureIV crush
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11
    IV crush#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The sharp fall in implied volatility once the outcome is known
    RelatedImplied volatility (IV)Implied volatilityImplied volatility (IV) and IV crush
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.7GhostWire Ch.17Advanced Ch.11
    IV percentile#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Share of past readings that were below today’s
    RelatedIV rankImplied event moveAt-the-money straddle
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11
    IV rank#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Where today’s IV sits between the period low and high
    RelatedIV percentileImplied volatility (IV)Base volatility
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11

    L1 term

    Long gamma and short gamma#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A dealer long options gains from movement and hedges against it; a dealer short options hedges with it
    RelatedMarket maker (dealer)Gamma flip (zero-gamma level)Hedge
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8

    M2 terms

    Market maker (dealer)#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A firm that quotes options to everyone and hedges what it is left holding
    RelatedHedgeLong gamma and short gammaFeedback gain (k)
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Mean reversion#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    GhostWire Ch.27The tendency of volatility to drift back toward its long-run level
    Advanced Ch.12The tendency of a spread to return toward its average
    RelatedConstant maturityVIX9D and VIX3MImplied volatility
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27Advanced Ch.12

    N1 term

    Net GEX#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Dollar gamma per 1% move after counting calls as one sign and puts as the other, using an assumed ownership
    RelatedGamma flip (zero-gamma level)Gamma flip and regimeGamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8

    O3 terms

    One-standard-deviation move#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The price change a bell curve with this IV exceeds about one time in three
    RelatedPopulation standard deviationSample standard deviationImplied event move
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11
    Open interest and volume#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Open interest counts contracts outstanding at the last clearing; volume counts contracts traded today
    RelatedOpen interestFunding rate and open interestVolume and open interest
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Opex#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Expiration day; monthly equity options expire on the third Friday
    RelatedTriple witching and OPEXPinningMarket maker (dealer)
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8

    P2 terms

    Pinning#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The tendency of a stock to drift toward a heavily traded strike as expiration nears
    RelatedOpen interest and volumeOpexFeedback gain (k)
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8
    Put wall#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The strike with the largest put-side gamma
    RelatedCall wallCall wall and put wallGamma
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9

    R2 terms

    Realized volatility#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Annualized standard deviation of daily returns over a lookback window
    RelatedVolatility targetingVolatility risk premiumLookback window
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.24GhostWire Ch.27Advanced Ch.6Advanced Ch.11
    Roll and roll yield#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Selling the expiring contract and buying the next one; the gain or loss from the price gap
    RelatedRoll and premium dragRollRoll-down
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27

    S4 terms

    Skew#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Differences in implied volatility across strikes; in equities, usually higher on downside strikes
    RelatedImplied volatilityImplied volatility (IV)VVIX
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Special Opening Quotation#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The VIX expiry settlement value, computed from SPX option prices at the open on expiry morning
    RelatedVIX futureTriple witching and OPEXOpening and closing cross
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17
    Spot VIX#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The calculated index value right now
    RelatedPool spot priceSpot crypto ETFRoll and roll yield
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Square-root-of-time rule#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Volatility over a period scales with the square root of the time, not with time
    RelatedPortfolio volatilityVegaAt-the-money straddle
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11Advanced Ch.13

    T4 terms

    Term structure#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    GhostWire Ch.27VIX futures (or VIX9D, VIX, VIX3M) laid out by maturity
    Advanced Ch.9Implied volatility of the same strike plotted against expiration
    RelatedVIX futureImplied volatilityImplied volatility (IV)
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27Advanced Ch.9Advanced Ch.11
    Total return swap#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A contract in which one side pays the other the total return of an asset (price change plus dividends) in exchange for a financing payment
    RelatedHedgeTotal return legSwap fee
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.13GhostWire Ch.17
    Touch, poke and close beyond#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Touch: price reaches the level. Poke: it trades through but the bar closes back inside. Close beyond: the bar settles on the far side
    RelatedTouch probabilityAcceptance and retestAM and PM settlement
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.9
    Triple witching and OPEX#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The third-Friday expiry of stock options, index options and index futures each March, June, September and December; monthly OPEX is every third Friday
    RelatedOpexSpecial Opening QuotationDelta hedge
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.17

    V9 terms

    Vanna#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The change in delta caused by a change in implied volatility
    RelatedImplied volatilityImplied volatility (IV)Delta
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.8GhostWire Ch.17Advanced Ch.6
    Variance#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Volatility squared; (VIX / 100)2 is annualized variance
    RelatedEvent varianceHedge effectivenessTotal variance
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27Advanced Ch.13
    Vega#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Option price change for one point of IV
    RelatedVega weightingVomma (volga)Implied volatility (IV)
    Taught inAdvanced Ch.11
    VIX future#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    A contract that settles to a special opening quotation of the VIX on a fixed expiry date
    RelatedTerm structureSpecial Opening Quotation30-day fed funds futures
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    VIX9D and VIX3M#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The same Cboe method over 9 days and over 3 months
    RelatedTerm structureConstant maturityMean reversion
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Vol point#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    One unit of the quote: a move from 20 to 21 is one point
    RelatedBasis point (bp)Implied volatility and a volatility pointImplied volatility
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Volatility risk premium#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    The typical excess of implied over realized volatility
    RelatedRealized volatilityImplied volatilityVolatility targeting
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27
    Volatility targeting#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    Sizing exposure as target volatility divided by realized volatility, often with a cap of 100%
    RelatedRealized volatilityTarget (minimum acceptable return)Cap
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.24GhostWire Ch.27
    VVIX#
    Ch. 4Dealer Flow and Volatility
    An index of the implied volatility of VIX options, the volatility of volatility
    RelatedImplied volatilityImplied volatility (IV)Contango and backwardation
    Taught inGhostWire Ch.27

    These are short meanings only. Each linked chapter shows how the term is used and works through examples. The chapters belong to the GhostWire and Advanced modules, which unlock on The Path.