‘50 Cent’ Volatility Buyer Is Back With Bet VIX Will Double.
“50 Cent” is back. Or at least, a pretty convincing impersonator who spent $5 million on volatility hedges this week.
The mysterious buyer, or buyers, earned the nickname — a play on the rapper Curtis Jackson, known as “50 Cent” — after relentlessly purchasing huge lots of call options tied to the VIX at around 50 cents a pop.
A nearly identical trade was put on over the past two days, likely intended as a hedge, betting that equity-price swings will rip higher with the Cboe Volatility Index sitting below its two-year average.