Enter any ticker to see where today's implied volatility sits relative to the past year. High IV percentile = more expensive options = better covered call premiums.
Step 1: Enter your ticker and fetch the current IV. The tool compares today's IV against the historical range stored in our Supabase iv_history table (populated daily post-market close from Tradier).
Step 2: Look at the IV percentile gauge. Above 60 (green zone) means option premiums are relatively expensive — a better environment for selling covered calls. Below 30 (low zone) means premiums are cheap — consider waiting or widening your strike.
Step 3: Use the reading alongside the live screener. Our High IV Rank screener shows all candidates currently above the 70th percentile — the optimal sweet spot for covered call premium.
Read more about how IV affects covered call strategy in the IV and Covered Calls guide and the implied volatility glossary entry.
| IV Percentile | IV Environment | For Covered Calls | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| > 70% | High IV | ⭐ Optimal | Sell premium aggressively — delta 0.30–0.40 |
| 50–70% | Moderate-high IV | ✓ Good | Standard strategy — delta 0.25–0.35 |
| 30–50% | Moderate IV | ⚠ Acceptable | Tighten strikes or increase DTE for yield |
| < 30% | Low IV | ✗ Avoid | Premiums too cheap — wait or skip this ticker |
IV percentile (also called IV Rank or IVR) measures where today's implied volatility sits relative to the past 52-week range. A 70th percentile means IV is higher than 70% of all readings over the past year — indicating expensive option premiums.
Most covered call sellers prefer IV percentile above 50 — and ideally above 60–70. Higher IV percentile means options are more expensive, so you collect more premium for the same strike and DTE.
IV Percentile counts the percentage of days where IV was below today's level. IV Rank (IVR) measures where today's IV sits between the 52-week low and high. IV Percentile is generally more robust because it's less affected by a single IV spike.
High IV implies the market is pricing in larger moves, but it's a measure of option prices — not a guarantee. IV can stay elevated for weeks or collapse suddenly. This is why earnings season often shows high IV that crashes post-announcement (IV crush).
IV Percentile = (Number of days in 52 weeks where IV was below today's IV) / (Total trading days in 52 weeks). If IV was below today's level on 180 of 252 trading days, IV percentile = 71.4%.