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CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index (^VXN)
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index (^VXN) has returned 44.38% so far this year and 11.31% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, ^VXN has returned 5.95% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index

1D
-15.09%
1M
15.17%
YTD
44.38%
6M
41.20%
1Y
11.31%
3Y*
6.17%
5Y*
4.00%
10Y*
5.95%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 23, 2001, ^VXN's average daily return is +0.17%, while the average monthly return is +1.59%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 3.7 years.

Historically, 44% of months were positive and 56% were negative. The best month was Aug 2015 with a return of +105.1%, while the worst month was Oct 2011 at -35.9%. The longest winning streak lasted 5 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 11 months.

On a daily basis, ^VXN closed higher 46% of trading days. The best single day was Feb 5, 2018 with a return of +59.8%, while the worst single day was Feb 1, 2024 at -38.6%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
202615.13%8.88%15.17%44.38%
20250.95%12.68%11.96%9.58%-24.93%-6.28%-1.69%-0.62%4.66%9.95%-3.73%-7.61%-1.81%
202412.65%-5.70%-3.20%10.62%-9.39%-2.75%37.25%-13.46%4.67%23.13%-35.36%23.96%22.96%
2023-6.56%2.37%-10.61%-14.75%9.94%-11.62%-1.18%-3.00%13.55%5.55%-25.56%-3.11%-41.30%
202242.26%8.49%-17.51%41.72%-13.70%9.69%-24.74%18.13%13.73%-14.89%-15.08%4.31%30.19%
202139.03%-9.03%-26.92%-8.00%-6.38%-6.06%3.33%-6.39%36.81%-26.30%39.46%-22.60%-21.28%

Benchmark Metrics

CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index has an annualized alpha of 103.22%, beta of -3.50, and R² of 0.46 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 24, 2001.

  • This index tended to rise when S&P 500 Index fell (downside capture of -1108.64%), but participation in market rallies was also limited (-141.83%) — a profile typical of counter-cyclical assets.
  • Beta of -3.50 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.46 this index is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this index's risk.
  • R² of 0.46 means the benchmark explains less than half of this index's behavior — treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.

Alpha
103.22%
Beta
-3.50
0.46
Upside Capture
-141.83%
Downside Capture
-1,108.64%

Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

^VXN ranks 27 for risk / return — below 27% of indices on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.


^VXN Risk / Return Rank: 2727
Overall Rank
^VXN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1919
Sharpe Ratio Rank
^VXN Sortino Ratio Rank: 4040
Sortino Ratio Rank
^VXN Omega Ratio Rank: 3434
Omega Ratio Rank
^VXN Calmar Ratio Rank: 2222
Calmar Ratio Rank
^VXN Martin Ratio Rank: 2020
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index (^VXN) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


^VXNBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

0.10

0.90

-0.79

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

1.03

1.39

-0.35

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.12

1.21

-0.09

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

0.21

1.40

-1.19

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

0.26

6.61

-6.34

Explore ^VXN risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index was 87.50%, occurring on Mar 20, 2017. The portfolio has not yet recovered.

The current CBOE NASDAQ 100 Voltility Index drawdown is 65.77%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-87.5%Sep 21, 20013901Mar 20, 2017
-45%Apr 25, 200148Jul 2, 200152Sep 20, 2001100
-16.63%Apr 9, 20014Apr 12, 20017Apr 24, 200111
-13.99%Mar 5, 200117Mar 27, 20018Apr 6, 200125
-4.78%Feb 5, 20012Feb 6, 20013Feb 9, 20015

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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