Volatility calculator
Paste a run of closing prices for a coin, currency pair or share and see its volatility: the typical swing per day and the yearly figure traders quote. Free, no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser.
The starting prices are only an example. Uses log returns and the sample standard deviation, scaled by the square root of 365 days a year.
What the number means
Volatility measures how widely a price swings. This calculator takes the change from each closing price to the next, works out how spread out those changes are (their standard deviation), and turns that into a yearly percentage. A yearly volatility of 20% means that, if the swings carry on as they did, about two years in three would end within roughly 20% either side of where they started.
Why the period matters
Volatility grows with the square root of time, so a daily figure is scaled up by the square root of the number of trading days in a year. Crypto trades every day, so 365 is used; currencies and shares mostly trade on weekdays, so 252 is the usual choice. More prices give a steadier figure, and the past is no promise of future swings.
Run your own crypto app
SendPay platforms let your customers hold GBP, EUR and USD next to crypto they buy, sell and hold under your brand, with assets held with regulated partners.