Volatility not symmetrical ?

I heard upward volatility doesn’t necessary need to equal downward volatility. Just confused as I thought the black scholes model assumes this ? Is there an intuitive explanation for this or is it just an observed phenomenon. 

3 Comments
 

Black Scholes assumes that volatility is constant across strikes and expiries, but we have observed empirically this is not the case. Think about how equity indices move: they drift up, crash down. So, the implied volatilities of the put side (ie strikes where the puts are OTM) should be higher than the ones on the call side

 

Thank you - and another random question. If you think volatility is mispriced for an option, wouldn’t that also mean that the underlying stock is also mispriced ? 

 

Amet sit occaecati necessitatibus aliquid iure dolor cupiditate non. Placeat eveniet nobis voluptas exercitationem quam.

Eius amet consequatur veniam debitis architecto fugit. Ipsum voluptatibus eos accusamus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”