VOLATILITY TRADING
(PORTFOLIO HEDGE) VIA QUANTITATIVE MODELING IN EXCEL

AllQuant

By Nim... on Jan 10, 2026

VOLATILITY TRADING (PORTFOLIO HEDGE) VIA QUANTITATIVE MODELING IN EXCEL – AllQuant 

COURSE OVERVIEW

This program institutionalizes volatility risk premium capture strategies—practiced by hedge funds—into a deployable Excel-based system. The curriculum focuses on constructing systematic trades that generate returns during calm markets while providing portfolio hedge characteristics during crisis periods. Participants build a complete volatility trading model without programming, chart reading, or continuous news monitoring.

Core Value Proposition: Acquire a defensive quantitative strategy requiring five minutes of daily operation, grounded in observable market phenomena rather than forecasting.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion, participants will demonstrate competency in:

Volatility Risk Premium Mechanics: Capturing the spread between implied and realized volatility through ETF-based instruments

Quantitative Investing Protocols: Distinguishing systematic volatility strategies from directional equity approaches

Excel Implementation: VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, array formulas, and conditional logic for signal generation

Risk Analytics: Computing volatility-adjusted returns, Sharpe ratio, drawdown metrics, and tail risk measures

Transaction Cost Integration: Modeling slippage and commissions specific to volatility products

Leverage Application: Understanding margin requirements for amplified volatility exposure

Performance Tracking: Building dashboards for real-time hedge effectiveness monitoring

Multi-Strategy Context: Positioning volatility trading within broader portfolio allocation frameworks

COURSE CONTENT STRUCTURE

Total Duration: Approximately 5 hours across 6 sections

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION (15 minutes)

Volatility as an asset class: VIX futures, volatility ETFs, and options-based replication

Strategy role: income generation versus crisis alpha

Course roadmap and performance expectations

SECTION 2: CONCEPT OF VOLATILITY RISK PREMIUM (75 minutes)

Empirical evidence: persistent spread between implied and realized volatility

Structural drivers: investor preference for crash protection, behavioral biases

Instrument selection: VXX, SVXY, UVXY criteria and contango/backwardation dynamics

Strategy weaknesses: volatility regime shifts, central bank interventions, ETF decay mechanics

Hedge characteristics: correlation breakdown during equity market stress

SECTION 3: EXCEL CRASH COURSE (45 minutes)

Critical functions: VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, logical operators, statistical arrays

Time series data alignment for volatility term structures

Dynamic charting for VIX futures curve visualization

Error checking protocols for model audit trails

SECTION 4: FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS (60 minutes)

Log returns for high-volatility instruments

Rolling volatility estimation for position sizing

Sharpe ratio calculation with zero or negative risk-free rate handling

Contango cost quantification and drag attribution

Leverage ratio mathematics and margin call risk modeling

SECTION 5: BUILDING THE VOLATILITY RISK PREMIUM MODEL (120 minutes)

Yahoo Finance data retrieval for VIX futures and ETF prices

Signal construction: rolling volatility percentile thresholds

Entry/exit logic: VIX level-based scaling and term structure filters

Transaction cost integration: ETF expense ratios and bid-ask spreads

Backtesting engine: simulating short-volatility strategies with risk caps

Hedging overlay: sizing volatility long positions against equity portfolio beta

SECTION 6: VOLATILITY RISK PREMIUM OPERATIONS (45 minutes)

Daily workflow: data update, signal verification, order sizing (5-minute protocol)

Risk monitoring: vega exposure, contango drag, margin utilization

Performance logging: separating premium capture from hedge payoffs

Crisis protocol: when and how to exit short-volatility positions

Dashboard creation: extracting key metrics for decision support

DELIVERABLES & RESOURCES

Fully Completed Model File: Live-ready Excel workbook with volatility term structure analytics, signal generation, and hedging calculators

Guided Build Templates: Step-by-step worksheets for progressive model construction

Practice Exercises: Financial mathematics problem sets with detailed solutions focusing on volatility scaling

Bulk Data Tool: VBA-enabled Excel file for automated Yahoo Finance VIX and ETF data retrieval

Performance Analytics Worksheet: Pre-built metrics calculator for Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio, and contango-adjusted returns

Decision Dashboard: Interactive summary interface for signal extraction and hedge ratio determination

TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

Optimal Fit:

Portfolio managers seeking systematic hedging tools without options trading complexity

Investment advisors constructing resilient multi-asset portfolios for high-net-worth clients

Sophisticated self-directed investors managing ₹50+ lakh equity portfolios requiring crash protection

Risk officers at family offices evaluating non-correlated return streams

Quantitative analysts building strategy diversification within hedge fund structures

Suboptimal Fit:

Individuals seeking speculative high-return strategies (focus is defensive)

Traders lacking understanding of contango/backwardation mechanics (will incur predictable losses)

Participants without intermediate Excel proficiency (model debugging will be problematic)

Investors unable to maintain discipline during volatility spikes (strategy requires consistent execution)

PREREQUISITES & TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Intellectual Prerequisites:

Foundational derivatives knowledge: futures, options basics, settlement mechanics

Statistics: percentile ranks, standard deviation, correlation

Understanding of portfolio beta and hedging concepts

Technical Prerequisites:

Microsoft Excel 2016 or later with VBA macros enabled

Stable internet connection for daily data retrieval

No prior VBA or Python knowledge required

Software Provision: All analysis uses free resources; no mandatory data vendor subscriptions

INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHIES

ENG GUAN – CO-FOUNDER & LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Quantitative investment practitioner with 15+ years spanning sovereign wealth funds, investment banks, proprietary trading desks, and multi-strategy hedge funds. Most recent role: key Portfolio Manager at a Singapore-based multi-strategy hedge fund, managing cross-asset systematic strategies with direct P&L responsibility. Holds MSc in Financial Engineering specializing in derivatives pricing and optimal execution algorithms.

Pedagogical Edge: Direct hedge fund implementation experience ensures instruction reflects operational realities: transaction cost management, leverage constraints, and institutional risk mandates. Sovereign wealth fund background provides long-horizon capital preservation principles.

PATRICK LING – CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR INSTRUCTOR

15+ years of comprehensive investment industry experience across private banking (UBS), investment banking (Goldman Sachs), and hedge fund portfolio management. As a key Portfolio Manager at the same Singapore-based multi-strategy hedge fund, he co-managed systematic equity strategies and developed proprietary risk analytics. Holds MSc in Wealth Management, integrating quantitative techniques with high-net-worth client portfolio construction.

Pedagogical Edge: Private banking experience translates quantitative concepts into executable processes for non-institutional investors. Hedge fund tenure provides insight into multi-strategy portfolio integration and factor diversification—critical context for preventing over-reliance on volatility trading as single alpha source.

Joint Credibility: Both instructors maintain parallel practitioner careers, ensuring curriculum evolves with current industry standards.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

The course employs a "build-operate-improve" framework. Participants construct a baseline short-volatility model, operate it through historical regimes (including 2008 and 2020), then iteratively add hedging overlays and leverage controls. Each module includes validation checkpoints where learners test their model against known crisis outcomes before advancing.

Instruction explicitly addresses why volatility risk premium exists (behavioral risk aversion, regulatory constraints) and when it collapses (volatility-of-volatility spikes, liquidity crises). This prevents blind implementation and cultivates adaptive execution essential for strategy survival.

Time Commitment: While video instruction totals 5 hours, practical implementation requires an estimated additional 3-5 hours of independent model building and parameter calibration. Five-minute daily operation assumes stable model and reliable data feeds.

STRATEGY SCOPE & LIMITATIONS

Geographic Application: Explicit model calibrated for U.S. volatility products (VIX futures curve, ETFs: VXX, SVXY, UVXY) to ensure data availability. Mathematical architecture is transferable to India VIX futures or other volatility indices where liquid ETFs exist.

Asset Class Constraints: Focuses exclusively on volatility ETF trading; does not teach direct options trading, variance swaps, or VIX futures rolling. Participants gain indirect volatility exposure through ETF structures, avoiding complex derivatives mechanics but incurring contango decay.

Performance Expectations: Designed for portfolio hedging first, income generation second. Participants should expect negative correlation of -0.6 to -0.8 with equity portfolios during crises, with modest positive returns (3-6% annually) during calm periods. The strategy is not engineered for standalone high returns; it functions as a diversifying satellite allocation.

Risk Warnings: Short-volatility positions carry theoretical unlimited loss potential. The model incorporates risk caps and position limits, but participants must maintain strict discipline during volatility spikes exceeding 40 VIX.

BOTTOM-LINE ASSESSMENT

This program provides precise, practitioner-validated volatility trading infrastructure without requiring derivatives expertise or programming capability. The instructors' hedge fund tenure ensures the model addresses real-world frictions: contango drag, ETF liquidity gaps, and margin volatility.

Critical Caveat: Volatility risk premium strategies experienced severe drawdowns in 2018 (Volmageddon) and 2020 (COVID spike). The model's risk controls mitigate but do not eliminate these outcomes. Participants must allocate no more than 5-10% of total portfolio to this strategy and maintain psychological preparedness for rapid losses.

For the target audience—equity portfolio managers seeking non-correlated hedges—this represents a professionally rigorous, operationally viable tool that translates institutional-grade risk management into Excel-based execution. The primary value lies not in exceptional returns but in predictable portfolio insurance characteristics during equity market dislocations.

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