Analysis

Sharpe Ratio

By Ryan Silk & Lawrence Polatchek · Reviewed April 2026 · Options Trading Glossary

Risk-adjusted return per unit of volatility

What is Sharpe Ratio?

Sharpe Ratio A measure of risk-adjusted return calculated as the excess return (above the risk-free rate) divided by the standard deviation of returns. Higher Sharpe ratios indicate better risk-adjusted performance. Options strategies that consistently sell premium often have high Sharpe ratios during calm markets but can suffer during tail events.

Complete Definition

A measure of risk-adjusted return calculated as the excess return (above the risk-free rate) divided by the standard deviation of returns. Higher Sharpe ratios indicate better risk-adjusted performance. Options strategies that consistently sell premium often have high Sharpe ratios during calm markets but can suffer during tail events.

Example

Strategy A returns 15% with 20% volatility (Sharpe 0.65). Strategy B returns 10% with 10% volatility (Sharpe 0.90). B has better risk-adjusted performance.

AV
Written by
ApexVol Research Team
Quantitative options research
All calculations use live ORATS institutional data — the same source used by professional volatility desks.
RS
Technical reviewer
Ryan Silk, ApexVol Founder
Reviewed for technical accuracy
10+ years trading options. Built ApexVol's pricing engine, Greeks model, and IV-rank methodology.
This guide is updated as market conditions and ORATS data change. Last revised 2026-05-12. How we research →

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