# VIX Jumps 21.45% as Longer-Dated Volatility Readings Stay Higher

By Enna Lee

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/investing/34434
Published: 2026-10-18T16:48:30.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-18T16:48:30.000Z
Section: Investing

> Bitcoin stayed above $80,000 over the weekend as Friday’s U.S. stock-market decline pushed the Cboe Volatility Index to 19.99.

The VIX jumped 21.45% Friday as U.S. stocks fell, while implied volatility readings were higher at later expirations and Bitcoin held above $80,000 over the weekend.

The VIX closed at 19.99 at 4 p.m. ET (20:00 UTC) Friday, Oct. 16, compared with 16.46 on Oct. 15. The index estimates expected 30-day volatility for the S&P 500 using prices of S&P 500 options.

The S&P 500 dropped 84.62 points, or 1.1%, to finish at 7,659.44.

At about 3:14 p.m. ET Friday (19:14 UTC), implied volatility readings were 20.05 for the Nov. 20, 2026, expiration and 22.40 for the Aug. 20, 2027, expiration. The reading was higher for the later date.

These readings describe option-implied volatility across maturities. They are not targets for the VIX’s next closing level. The VIX figure was recorded at the end of Friday’s session, while the expiration readings were a snapshot from earlier that afternoon.

Bitcoin (BTC) remained above $80,000 over the weekend.