Dispersion trading is a leading strategy for trading correlations in the market. As stated previously, typically, the expected correlation between stocks, or implied correlation, tends to be overvalued. thetatitans.com/home/dispersion-trading/ This is often due to the market positioning of structured product sellers who have a vested interest in going long correlation. This overvaluation makes the implied volatility of indexes appear higher than it actually is when compared to the volatility of individual stocks. thetatitans.com/home/dispersion-trading/

Traders engaging in long dispersion trades aim to take advantage of this by shorting index volatility while simultaneously going long on the volatility of individual stocks. This strategy essentially bets against the prevailing implied correlation. Although dispersion trading is a common way to trade implied correlation, thetatitans.com/home/dispersion-trading/ it’s important to note that the success of this strategy is also tied to overall volatility levels. One is essentially trading the index correlation,