VIX Surges Most Since October '08, Up 31% to 22.94

Market volatility, as measured by the popular VIX "fear indicator", has spiked sharply today -- in fact the steepest rise since a fateful October in 2008 when all hell broke loose on Wall Street. The index that tracks market volatility has jumped an astonishing 31% today, or about 5 points to just under 23.

Traders often consider a VIX reading below 20 "market optimism" and a reading above 30 "market pessimism."

You May Also Be Interested In

• Wolfpack Research: 'we are short FTK because their $400m deal has been canceled'
• Avalonbay Communities (AVB) dropped from S&P 500
• U.S., Canada discussing possible reduction in U.S. autos tariffs to 15% after some value content deductions from 25% currently - Reuters