When the VIX is around 18 as it is currently, should traders tighten their iron condor strikes or simply follow the conservative tier as recommended by VixShield?

At VixShield, we follow a disciplined approach rooted in Russell Clark's SPX Mastery methodology that prioritizes consistency over discretionary adjustments. With the current VIX at 17.95, which sits below the 20 threshold, our system remains fully operational across all three risk tiers. The Conservative tier targets a $0.70 credit, the Balanced tier aims for $1.15, and the Aggressive tier seeks $1.60. Rather than manually tightening strikes, we rely on the Expected Daily Range (EDR) indicator and RSAi to determine optimal strike placement for our 1DTE SPX Iron Condors. This ensures we capture the precise premium the market offers without introducing emotional bias. Tightening strikes beyond what RSAi recommends would reduce our credit received and potentially lower our edge, as the wings are already calibrated to the proprietary EDR formula that blends short-term implied volatility from VIX9D with historical volatility. In the current contango regime, where VIX has declined 7.3 percent to 17.95 and sits 9.5 percent below its five-day moving average of 18.58, the environment favors premium collection. Our Conservative tier has historically delivered approximately 90 percent win rates, or about 18 out of 20 trading days, making it the natural choice for traders seeking lower stress when volatility lingers near 18. We never tighten strikes arbitrarily. Instead, we let RSAi scan the skew in real time at 3:05 PM CST, adjusting wings in five-dollar increments until the exact credit target is met. This process completes in milliseconds and aligns perfectly with our Set and Forget methodology, which avoids stop losses and relies on the Theta Time Shift for any recovery. Our ALVH hedge remains layered across short, medium, and long VIX calls in a four-four-two ratio per ten-contract base unit, cutting drawdowns by 35 to 40 percent during spikes at an annual cost of only one to two percent of account value. Position sizing stays at a maximum of ten percent of account balance per trade. Following the full conservative tier when VIX hovers near 18 aligns with VIX Risk Scaling guidelines and preserves the mathematical integrity of the Unlimited Cash System. All trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. For deeper implementation details, including access to the EDR indicator and live sessions, we invite you to explore the resources available through VixShield and the SPX Mastery Club.