Wall Street’s ‘fear gauge’ soars to a rare ‘crisis’ level. What that means for stocks. - MarketWatch
1. The VIX closed at 45.31, signaling a crisis requiring policy response. 2. Historical data shows VIX above 40 occurs only 2.3% of the time. 3. Tariff anxiety contributed to significant volatility in the stock market. 4. Previous VIX spikes were resolved by government policy changes. 5. Continued volatility expected until U.S. trade policies change.