http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/03/18/vix-trading-set-to-go-round-the-clock/ By CHRIS DIETERICH CONNECT Bloomberg News Soon there will be no sleep for the marketâs fear gauge. Exchange operator CBOE Holdings Inc.CBOE -1.91% said Tuesday that it will expand futures trading on its CBOE Volatility Index to nearly 24 hours a day. Starting on June 22, VIX futures trading will begin Sundays at 6:00 p.m. ET and close the week at 4:15 p.m. on Fridays. The change is pending regulatory review, the CBOEâs news release said. Fifteen-minute pauses will take place Monday through Thursday from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. However, the exchange will not calculate readings of the closely watched VIX index outside of regular U.S. trading hours, a CBOE spokeswoman said. The VIX, which measures prices traders are willing to pay for options portfolio insurance, has gained a reputation as the marketâs âfear gaugeâ because it tends to jump higher as stock prices fall. Traders often use VIX futures to hedge against declines in stock investments. The VIX is derived from prices investors are willing to pay for options tied to the Standard & Poorâs 500-share index. âCustomers around the world ⦠will have the ability to trade VIX futures virtually around the clock,â said CBOEâs Chief Executive, Ed Tilly, in the news release The CBOE, the operator of the largest U.S. options exchange by trading volume, last year tacked on 45 additional minutes of VIX trading starting at 4:30 ET, as well as a five-hour window that begins at 8:00 a.m. GMT to accommodate European traders. Stock futures in the U.S. follow a schedule similar to the new VIX futures schedule, with the brief stops during which contract values are recalibrated according to market levels.