The most widely followed gauge of market fear and uncertainty edged up Friday, but investors still appear to be shrugging off worries about retaliatory tariffs and sticky inflation.
The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks S&P 500 options contracts and trades under the ticker VIX, climbed 1.7% to just over 15 in early trading. Any level below 20 is typically seen as a sign of relatively low volatility, so Friday's reading signals the market remains in a calm mood.
That means investors aren't too worried about inflation or tariffs despite a slew of news on those fronts this week. On Thursday, President Donald Trump outlined plans to impose equalizing levies on any country that taxes imports from the U.S., although uncertainty about the timeline of that legislation means the market is in wait-and-see mode for now.