ImpliedVolatilityRank1y: Measure 1-Year Implied Volatility Rank for Your Symbol

The ImpliedVolatilityRank1y function helps you quickly retrieve the 1-year implied volatility rank for a particular stock symbol. This indicator can be very useful when evaluating option strategies: it shows whether current implied volatility is high or low compared to its historical levels, giving you a sense of how “expensive” or “cheap” the stock’s options might be.

By default, if you do not specify a start date or if you provide a date before 1978, the function retrieves the most recent implied volatility rank. Otherwise, you can specify a date to see what the implied volatility rank was on that specific day (assuming historical data is available).

Why Use This Function?

• Quickly gauge if a stock's options are trading at historically high or low implied volatility levels.
• Make more informed decisions about your options strategies, such as determining when to sell options at relatively high implied volatility.
• Integrates directly into Excel for seamless portfolio analysis.
• Automate your workflow using simple formula-based lookups.
• Ideal for real-world US market scenarios where implied volatility rank analysis helps you identify potentially lucrative option trades.

How to Use in Excel

ImpliedVolatilityRank1y(Symbol, [StartDate])

• Symbol (required): The ticker symbol of the stock (e.g., "AAPL", "MSFT").
• StartDate (optional): A valid date in Excel date format. If omitted or set to a year before 1978, the function fetches the most recent implied volatility rank. If provided, the function attempts to retrieve the rank for that specific historical date.

Simply type this function into any Excel cell where you have the MarketXLS add-in installed. The result will update automatically, showing either:
• The 1-year implied volatility rank as a numeric value (e.g., “35.45”), or
• "NA" if the ticker symbol or date is invalid, or if other exceptions occur, or
• "Refreshing" if the data is temporarily being updated in the background.

Parameters Explained

Example Usage

Basic Examples

1. Retrieve the most recent 1-year implied volatility rank for Apple:
   =ImpliedVolatilityRank1y("AAPL")
   This returns the current or latest known 1-year IV rank if available.

2. Retrieve the implied volatility rank for Microsoft as of July 10, 2023:
   =ImpliedVolatilityRank1y("MSFT", "7/10/2023")
   The function attempts to pull the IV rank on July 10, 2023. If data for that exact date is absent, it returns "NA".

3. Cell Example:
   • In cell A1, enter "AAPL"
   • In cell B1, enter the formula: =ImpliedVolatilityRank1y(A1)
   • The cell now shows a numeric value representing AAPL's current 1-year IV rank or "NA" if unavailable.

Advanced Scenarios

• Using a reference date to evaluate market conditions before an earnings event:
If you want to see how implied volatility stood before a high-impact earnings release, put the exact date prior to the earnings announcement as your optional date parameter. This helps compare pre-earnings implied volatility rank with the current rank.

• Combining with Excel’s built-in functions:
For instance, you might average the ImpliedVolatilityRank1y outputs for multiple symbols:
=AVERAGE(ImpliedVolatilityRank1y("AAPL"), ImpliedVolatilityRank1y("AMZN"), ImpliedVolatilityRank1y("GOOG"))
This helps you quickly gauge overall implied volatility conditions across a small portfolio of tech stocks.

• Building options trading strategies:
Traders often sell option premium when implied volatility rank levels are historically high, aiming to capitalize on potential volatility contractions. You can place the function in multiple cells to track your watchlist daily.

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

1. Why am I getting "NA"?

   • The symbol might be invalid.
   • The date specified may be outside the available historical range.
   • The license might be invalid or expired.
   • An internal exception may have occurred.

2. Why am I getting "Refreshing"?

   • The data is being updated in the background. The function will return a fresh value once the data is available.

3. What if the date is before 1978?

   • The function ignores it and fetches the most recent implied volatility rank.

4. Are partial or European date formats supported?

   • Yes, as long as Excel recognizes it as a valid date. Ensure your system date settings are consistent.

5. Could the rank be missing on some specific days?

   • Yes. If there is no data for that symbol on the requested date, the function will return "NA".

By using ImpliedVolatilityRank1y in Excel with MarketXLS, you gain real-time or historically referenced insight into implied volatility conditions—an essential factor in designing and executing your options trading strategies. Remember to always validate your inputs, keep your MarketXLS license updated, and rely on real US market data to make more confident trading decisions.