The financial commentary around gamma exposure often gets misunderstood. One recurring misconception? That a “purple” gamma regime is inherently bearish. It’s not. It’s unstable.

In market structure terms, “purple gamma” means that dealers — those tasked with providing liquidity and managing risk in options markets — are short gamma. This condition fundamentally changes how they must hedge. Instead of leaning into price and dampening volatility (as they do when long gamma), dealers must hedge with price, accelerating moves in both directions.