The market was feeling calm on Monday, after a frenetic week where Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election helped power stocks to record highs.
The Cboe Volatility Index, a widely-followed Wall Street “fear gauge” that tracks S&P 500 options and trades under the ticker VIX, edged up 2.7% to 15.34. Any reading under 20 is seen as a sign of low volatility.
Over the past five days, the VIX has dropped about 30%, likely because the swift resolution of the U.S. election lifted some uncertainty. The expectation that Trump will implement free-market economic policies has also boosted stocks and calmed investors’ nerves.