After a volatility crush following an FOMC meeting or Non-Farm Payrolls release, how long should traders wait before entering new SPX iron condors? Is the primary trigger based on VIX level, IV rank, or another factor?

At VixShield, we approach post-event volatility crushes with a disciplined framework drawn directly from Russell Clark's SPX Mastery methodology. Following an FOMC announcement or NFP release that triggers a vol crush, we do not rely on arbitrary waiting periods measured in days. Instead, our primary triggers are the combination of VIX Risk Scaling rules, the Contango Indicator, EDR readings below 0.94 percent, and confirmation from RSAi for a PLACE signal at 3:10 PM CST. With the current VIX at 17.95 and below its five-day moving average of 18.58, we remain in a regime where all three iron condor tiers are available. The Conservative tier targets a 0.70 credit, Balanced aims for 1.15, and Aggressive seeks 1.60, all using one-day-to-expiration SPX iron condors placed in the post-close window. We never use stop losses and follow a strict Set and Forget approach, allowing Theta Time Shift to handle any threatened positions through its temporal martingale mechanics. The ALVH hedge remains active across all VIX levels, with its three-layer structure of short, medium, and long VIX calls providing protection that has historically cut drawdowns by 35 to 40 percent at an annual cost of only one to two percent of account value. IV rank can offer context on relative volatility, but it is secondary to our real-time VIX threshold rules: below 15 favors all tiers aggressively, 15 to 20 restricts to Conservative and Balanced, and above 20 triggers a HOLD with full ALVH reliance. In the current contango environment, we have seen five PLACE signals in recent sessions with zero HOLDs, demonstrating how quickly we can resume after a crush once conditions align. Position sizing stays at a maximum of 10 percent of account balance per trade, and auto-execution via PickMyTrade is available for the Conservative tier. This systematic process turns potential hesitation into consistent opportunity while preserving capital. All trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. For deeper implementation details on the Unlimited Cash System, EDR indicator, and live signal workflow, we invite you to explore the SPX Mastery resources and VixShield membership at vixshield.com.