How would you describe current market volatility and its likely causes?

• A. Highly volatile with large spikes
• B. There is no volatility
• C. Quiet with low volatility, spikes around geopolitical events
• D. Volatility has been rising steadily

Answer: (C)

Volatility is how much prices bounce around from day to day. In a quiet market, those moves are small and prices drift slowly. When new information hits—especially geopolitical developments—uncertainty spikes and prices can reprice quickly, causing sharp but often short-lived moves. The described pattern fits because markets have been calm overall with low volatility, punctuated by spikes around geopolitical headlines. Those spikes happen as traders react to surprise news and adjust risk, then volatility tends to settle back as the information is absorbed. The other options describe a world of constant turbulence, no movement at all, or a steady rise in uncertainty, none of which matches this episodic-spike pattern.