Options/VCSH

VCSHVanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF

Options Analysis Report

AUM $52.0B|NASDAQ

● 2026-08-31$78.51

NEUTRAL

Analysis: 2026-08-28 EOD data

1Y -1.3%YTD -1.6%7D -0.1%

Options Vol

30D

Implied Move

±3.0%

IV Rank

VCSH Options Overview

IV is low. Conditions favor option buyers.

REWARDS

RISK ANALYSIS

Snowflake Analysis

Favorable conditions for option buyers

Learn

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VCSH Gamma Walls

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Value

Is IV priced right?

7.7

ExpensiveCheap

Measures whether options are cheap, fair, or rich relative to historical and peer

levels.

Risk Checks6/9 checks passed

IV Rank

≤35%

IV Rank 0.8% — cheap vs history

IV/HV Ratio

<1.05x

IV/HV 2.50x — IV premium over HV

Sector Relative≤50%

Sector percentile 1% — below sector median

Term Structure

<1.1x

Front/Back 3.71x — backwardation

Skew Normal

<1.25x

Put/Call IV 1.16x — elevated

Absolute IV

<80%

ATM IV 5.4% — normal range

Spread-Adjusted Value

<80%

Effective IV 48.0% (ATM 5.4% + spread 21.3% + bias) — excellent value

Execution Efficiency

<3.0%

Total drag 30.09% (spread 21.28% + slippage 8.81%) — high friction

Vega Efficiency

≥5.0

Vega efficiency 9.46 (vega 20.120 / spread 21.28%) — efficient

Sentiment

Bullish or bearish?

2.1

BearishBullish

Analyzes

put/call ratios

open interest skew

, and flow direction to determine market bias.

Risk ChecksVery Bearish - Moderate signal (Conviction: -100%, Raw: -100%)

Flow Direction

|net sentiment| ≥25%

Conviction-weighted: -100% (strong bearish) — Raw: -100%

OI Skew Magnitude

≥15%

|OI skew| 10.5% — balanced

Volume-OI Alignment

Same sign, |vol skew| ≥10%

Vol skew +100.0%, OI skew -10.5% — divergent (opposite)

Conviction Quality

≥2/3 conditions

0-DTE 0%, far-OTM 15%, avg DTE 30

OI Momentum

|change| ≥3%

OI change +0.0% (5d) — stable

Smart Money Flow

|weighted flow| ≥20%

ITM: +0%, ATM: -100%, OTM: +0% — strong bearish (ITM/ATM divergent)

Sector Relative≤40% or ≥60%

Sector P/C percentile 50% — neutral vs sector

Activity

Unusual activity?

3.0

QuietActive

Detects volume surges,

block trades

, and unusual options activity that may signal moves.

Risk Checks2/8 checks passed

Volume Surge

≥1.5x

Volume 0.2x avg — normal

Turnover Rate

≥15%

Vol/OI 0.7% — normal turnover

Multi-Day Persistence

≥2 days

1 day(s) elevated — may be one-day event

OI Build

≥5%

OI change +7.0% (5d) — building

Sector Relative≥60%

Sector activity percentile 24% — below sector avg

Trade Quality

≥30%

Large trade volume 0% — mostly retail

Execution Urgency

≥60%

Aggressive execution 0% — patient

Flow Conviction

≥30

Conviction -100 (bearish) — strong conviction

Liquidity

Can I trade efficiently?

2.6

IlliquidLiquid

Evaluates

bid-ask spreads

, volume depth, and open interest for trade execution quality.

Risk Checks1/8 checks passed

Tradeable Spread

≤5.0%

Spread 21.3% — wide

Adequate OI

≥10,000

OI 277 — thin

Active Volume

≥500

Volume 2/day — thin

Reasonable Cost

≤$0.50

$1.06 to cross — expensive

Strike Coverage

≥5 strikes

0 liquid strikes — limited options

Sector Relative≤40%

Sector spread percentile 25% — tighter than sector

Order Book Depth

≥100 contracts

Depth 93.5 contracts (bid:48.5 ask:45.0) — thin

Execution Quality

<1.0%

Avg slippage 8.81% — poor

Timing

Is now a good time?

7.5

RiskyFavorable

Considers earnings proximity,

time decay

, and event calendar for optimal entry timing.

Risk Checks7/9 checks passed

Term Structure Clarity

|slope| ≥5%

Slope +271.4% — backwardation

IV Percentile Clarity

<30 or >70

IV percentile 1% — buyer opportunity

Event Detection

≥10pts kink

IV kink 4.8pts — no clear event

Theta/Vega Clarity

<0.5 or >2.0

θ/ν ratio 16767.00 — favors income trades

Expiration Distribution

≥3 expirations

4 liquid expirations — flexible

Event Risk

≥60% (safe)

safe window: No earnings detected

Spread Momentum

<1.2 ratio

Spread ratio 1.00x — stable

Flow Momentum

≥25% strength + ≥50% consistency

Flow -100% @ 100% consistency — STRONG directional (bearish)

Smart Money Timing

≥40 composite score

Score 30 (ITM 20% + inst 0%) — retail dominated

Directional Strategy Fit

Option Buyers

Long Calls5.0

bullishIV cheap, bearish flow

Long Puts7.0

bearishIV cheap, bearish flow

Premium Sellers

Cash-Secured Put3.1

bullishIV too cheap, bearish flow

Covered Call5.1

bearishIV too cheap, bearish flow

For educational purposes only. Not investment advice.

The Options Desk tracks the move options price into every US earnings report the week of Aug 31, next to how much each stock has actually moved on its past prints — plus the SPY, QQQ and IWM expected ranges and the gamma walls that box them in.

More on VCSH

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