Why are UK stocks less volatile than US stocks?

[Dispassionate]

Also gaps tend to be larger in the US. Why?

 

[Anonymous]

Because the US is bigger?

 

[JonnyT]

They are not less volatile. You are just looking at the wrong stocks, in the wrong places.

Remember US stocks tend to trade in 10's or 100's of dollars, UK stocks tend to be numerically smaller hence this false perception.

However the US market is bigger so trading the volatile stocks there is generally easier.

JonnyT

 

[dantes]

Right now the 30 day historic vol for FTSE is 12.46% and for OEX it is 11.21%. However looking back over tha past year OEX has indeed been slighty more volatile. See attached charts. (FTSE on the left, OEX on the right.)