Much of the problem in the US right now does come down to a failure of education. And we can see that in the markets as much as anywhere.
Options volume has exploded, much presumably due to the sports-bettors turned option gurus that have flocked to Robinhood. They are clearly not the only culprits, but they certainly are getting the media attention, as is their lack of options knowledge.
It looks like my shift to more academic issues (trying to tackle the failures of education in other ways) seems to have come at an inopportune time. Good basic information and education on options and volatility trading is not easy to find. There is of course the education that your broker will provide, but I can tell (having worked for many of the biggest) that those are usually crap, run by someone who has very little real experience in the markets.
So I am going to use this venue to just put thoughts to paper, so to speak. For those interested, I have been trading the markets for almost 20 years and trading options and volatility for most of that. I have been an outside trader for several prominent volatility hedge funds and advised others on VIX strategies. I have also built education for some of the best firms out there. You can find some of my work on the VIX just by googling, as well as on this site, like here.
So I will share my thoughts on volatility and ideas on options trading. If you are interested, follow the blog or send me an email as I am happy to answer questions. tophervt @ gmail. com
iVol Trading 