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Answer: Historical volatility measures the standard deviation of past price movements while implied volatility gives an estimate of future volatility in the price of the asset
## Explanation **Historical volatility** measures the standard deviation of past price movements over a specific time period. It is calculated from historical price data and reflects how much an asset's price has fluctuated in the past. **Implied volatility** is derived from option prices using models like Black-Scholes. It represents the market's expectation of future volatility - essentially what the market 'implies' the volatility will be over the life of the option. **Why option A is correct:** - It accurately states that historical volatility measures past price movements (standard deviation) - It correctly describes implied volatility as an estimate of future volatility - The wording "gives an estimate" is appropriate since implied volatility is forward-looking and based on market expectations **Why other options are incorrect:** - **Option B:** Incorrect because implied volatility is measurable (derived from option prices) and not "immeasurable" - **Option C:** Inaccurate because historical volatility measures past volatility, not "volatility recorded as at present" - **Option D:** Incorrect because implied volatility is not about "historical volatility beyond a given benchmark" but rather future expectations **Key differences:** 1. **Time orientation:** Historical looks backward, implied looks forward 2. **Calculation:** Historical uses actual price data, implied uses option prices and models 3. **Purpose:** Historical shows what happened, implied shows what the market expects 4. **Use in trading:** Historical helps assess risk, implied helps price options and gauge market sentiment
Author: Nikitesh Somanthe
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Distinguish between historical and implied volatility.
A
Historical volatility measures the standard deviation of past price movements while implied volatility gives an estimate of future volatility in the price of the asset
B
Historical volatility measures the standard deviation of past price movements while implied volatility is the immeasurable volatility in the future price of an asset
C
Historical volatility is the volatility of an asset that's been recorded as at present, while implied volatility is the future volatility
D
Historical volatility measures the total standard deviation of past price movements while implied volatility gives the historical volatility beyond a given benchmark