Volatility, in plain English
The definition, as the app uses it
How jumpy a price has been lately. Crypto is normally far more volatile than a broad ETF — big swings there are routine, not alarms.
Volatility is a property of the asset, not a verdict on it. The app sorts it into three plain buckets — Low, Medium, High — based on how much the daily price has actually been swinging. The number that matters is never the size of today's move by itself; it is the size of today's move compared with what this asset normally does.
That comparison changes what a move means. A 4% drop in something that routinely swings 5% is an ordinary Tuesday. A 4% drop in something that usually moves half a percent is the loudest day it has had in months. Same percentage, opposite significance — volatility is how you tell them apart.
Worked example — illustrative figures only, not real assets
Asset A, a broad fund, typically moves about 0.7% in a day (Low). Asset B, a crypto asset, typically moves about 5% in a day (High). Both fall 4% today. For B, that is inside its normal range — routine, not an alarm. For A, it is roughly six times a normal day — that is the one worth a closer look.
Related: RSI · “Is it just the market?” · What is an ETF? · The five-questions worksheet
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Last reviewed: November 8, 2026
Portfolio Sweep never gives buy or sell calls. It describes what prices are doing — trend, momentum, how it compares to the market — so you can learn and decide for yourself. You don't trade inside Portfolio Sweep. This page is education, not investment advice.