[25psi_Elise_Killer]

Originally Posted by snuggles1

i'm kinda chuckling here... ok thanks. I guess kidding doesnt come across well online at times.

As I said, this is all I do all day. If I truly thought ok "I want to make $$ directly off the VIX" I would be doing it, since I dont get paid unless I make investors money. Point blank: do u know anyone who makes $$ directly off the volatility? U must know more hedge fund managers/private traders than I do.

Ah, i see you work on the buy-side....

Simple way to make money strictly using the VIX is to trade the VIX options/futures. Could go long/short, combo, straddles, etc...
CBOE - Micro Site

As for volatility trading, there's a lot of professionals who do it in the options markets. I didn't trade volatility to make $$ per se, but when i used to trade OTC options, our counterparties (broker/dealers) would take the opposite end of the trade to help facilitate it. To make sure the counterparties don't lose money on the deal, the counterparty would go short on the positions we purchased, then would manage the position by going delta neutral until the specified option expiration date.

I'm a former institutional equity derivatives trader and currently unemployed. If you know anyone hiring, please do let me know