# Wall Street’s fear gauge may be flashing a buy sign

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/wall-streets-fear-gauge-may-be-flashing-a-buy-sign/
- Published: 2026-11-06T14:02:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T14:25:04+00:00
- Original publisher: CNBC (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/06/wall-streets-fear-gauge-may-be-flashing-a-buy-sign.html
- Topics: Business, Markets

## Key points

- The S&P 500 fell 4% and the Nasdaq 100 fell 6%.
- Similar shocks brought a 2.1% median one-month return.
- Heavy put buying showed traders remained cautious.

## Summary

US shares suffered an unusually sharp sell-off, with the S&P 500 falling 4% and the Nasdaq 100 dropping 6%. The article suggests the volatility gauge may signal a buying opportunity, but cautions that the immediate aftermath of market shocks can still bring losses.

The median market return one month after similar episodes was 2.1%, while the average was a 0.4% decline, pulled down by steep falls in 1990 and during the early Covid sell-off in February 2020. Before Thursday, only 12 other days had seen both indexes fall by at least those amounts. The Nasdaq 100 had its worst day since March 2020, while its volatility index rose to 38.3; semiconductor ETF options trading also showed strong demand for puts.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.