Options market report: August 2026
Median 30-day implied volatility across the 160 most-traded options names went from 58.8% at the start of August 2026 to 44.3% at the close (−14.5 pts), with 8% of names re-pricing higher. The middle half of the market sits between 28% and 63%. The biggest riser was NIO (59% → 70%); the biggest faller ONDS (137% → 67%). SPY spent 1 of 10 captured sessions in positive gamma.
Implied volatility, month end
- Median IV30, start
- 58.8%
- Median IV30, end
- 44.3%
- 25th–75th pct
- 28% – 63%
- Names rising
- 8%
Biggest IV risers
Biggest IV fallers
Richest and cheapest options, and the IV premium leaders
Index dealer gamma: SPY and QQQ
| Index | Sessions | Positive gamma | Negative gamma | Mean 1-day move | Widest day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | ±0.56% | ±1.18% · 2026-08-26 |
| SPY | 10 | 1 | 9 | ±0.40% | ±0.85% · 2026-08-26 |
From OptionScout's nightly GEX captures (dealers short calls and puts; one-day expected move from ATM IV). Sessions without a capture are not counted.
Method
IV30 is the at-the-money implied volatility of the expiration nearest 30 days (call and put averaged), solved from closing option prices and stored once per session for every ticker in the universe since July 2025. HV30 is 30-trading-day close-to-close realized volatility. Month start and end are each ticker's first and last stored session in the month. Dealer gamma sessions come from the nightly capture of the full SPY and QQQ chains. Names with fewer than 30 stored tickers in a month produce no IV section.
Cite this report
OptionScout, “Options market report: August 2026”, https://optionscout.ai/reports/options-market/2026-08. Data is free to quote with a link; the per-ticker pages behind every number are at /implied-volatility and /gamma-exposure.
Other months: October 2026 · September 2026 · July 2026 · June 2026 · May 2026 · April 2026 · all reports
Not advice.