Net Harvest Score

Q: What is harvest score?

0-100 composite answering 'should I sell premium now?' Combines VRP richness, gamma regime, dealer risk, and term structure.

Q: What score to trade at?

Most systematic sellers use >65 as minimum. Above 70 = healthy VRP + positive gamma + low dealer risk.

Q: Why does Harvest Score matter for trading?

Harvest score is the composite filter professional vol sellers use to decide when premium-selling has structural edge. Instead of eyeballing VRP + regime + flow risk separately, harvest score collapses them to one number with a clear threshold. Serious short-vol programs gate every trade through it.

Q: When is Harvest Score good versus bad for a trader?

Good for full-size short-premium trades when harvest ≥ 60. Bad for premium selling when harvest < 30 — reduce or skip. Mid readings warrant reduced size. Always combine with dealer flow risk before sizing up.

Canonical definition, formula, interpretation, and API reference.

Definition

0-100 composite: is this a good time to sell premium? Combines VRP, gamma regime, dealer flow risk, term structure.

Formula

Composite of VRP percentile, gamma regime, dealer flow risk, term structure

Proprietary weighting. Higher = better for selling.

Inputs

VRP z-scoregamma regimedealer flow riskterm structure

Output

net_harvest_score (0-100)

Interpretation

>70: strong harvest conditions
40-70: moderate
<40: poor — avoid selling premium

API Reference

Endpoint

GET /v1/vrp/{symbol}

Tier

Alpha+

Response field

net_harvest_score

Why Harvest Score Matters for Trading

TL;DR

Harvest score is a 0–100 composite asking 'is premium harvestable now?'. Above 60 = go. Below 30 = don't. Captures VRP + regime + flow risk.

What it measures: A composite score (0–100) blending VRP level, vol term structure, dealer regime, and dealer flow risk.
What it signals: Whether short-premium trades have the structural tailwind right now.
Why we measure it: The individual inputs (VRP, regime, flow risk) tell separate stories. Harvest combines them into a single go/no-go threshold.
Who uses it: Systematic vol sellers, short-premium desks, iron-condor strategies. ALPHA TIER.

How to read Harvest Score

High (≥ 60)

All sub-signals aligned for sellers
Full-size short premium
Iron condors, strangles, covered calls
Best condition for harvesting

Good for: full-size short premium

Low (< 30)

Sub-signals hostile to sellers
Do not sell premium
Consider long vol / hedges
Toxic short-vol regime

Bad for: short premium

Mid (30–60)

Mixed signals
Reduced size
Only highest-conviction names
Wait for confirmation

Reduce

Rules of thumb

Use as primary gate. Threshold first; individual inputs second.
Pair with dealer flow risk. Harvest + low flow risk = best setup. Harvest + high flow risk = size down.
Updates intraday. Score shifts as VRP and regime shift — re-check before entering.
Name-specific. Harvest scores differ across tickers. Don't apply SPX score to single stocks.
Alpha tier only. Composite score requires the full input set — Alpha-gated.