Crash-O-Phobia
The empirical pattern in equity index option markets, observed since the 1987 crash, in which out-of-the-money puts trade at materially higher implied volatility than out-of-the-money calls. The asymmetry reflects structural demand for crash protection from institutional hedgers (pension funds, insurance companies, asset allocators) whose mandates make a large unhedged drawdown unacceptable. The term captures that the skew is not a temporary mispricing but a permanent feature of how institutional risk preferences price downside insurance.
Lessons that use this term
Related terms
American Option · Asian Option · Barrier Option · Basket Option · Butterfly Spread · Calendar Spread
Open this term in the app → — no account needed; browse the full glossary while you research.