Six Years After Volmageddon, Volatility Fears Resurface in US Stocks

Options-selling strategies lure billions as investors seek steady income

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S. 

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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Six years after a famous blowup in the volatility market shattered a lengthy calm in US stocks, the latest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse survey reveals growing Wall Street concern over a new boom in trades that bet against equity turbulence.

In this latest era of prolonged stock-market serenity, billions of dollars are pouring into strategies that seek to juice returns by selling options.