SPY against QQQ on delta and time, overlaid on one axis
Recorded in cvforge on June 2, 2026 by ConvexValue · Published July 25, 2026
The same two-surface comparison built on delta and time to expiry instead of strike, which is what makes two differently priced indices directly comparable.
Exact prompt
Give me a 3D visualization that lets me compare the IV surface of $SPY and $QQQ. It should be based on time and delta, allowing me to explore both surfaces overlaid on the same axis.
Data cadence
Live U.S. option snapshots, refreshed through the session. Open interest is an end-of-previous-day figure and updates once daily.
Plan requirements
Runs on the free cvforge app and the free data tier (20 requests/hour). No card needed.
Fields used
implied_volatility, strike_price, expiration_date, delta, underlying_price
How to read it
Specifying delta instead of strike is the substantive refinement. SPY and QQQ trade at different prices, so a strike axis puts them in different places and the overlay is meaningless. Delta is dimensionless — the 0.25-delta call is the same relative position on both — so the surfaces become comparable.
This is the version to copy if you want to compare any two names rather than two similar indices. On a strike axis the comparison is broken as soon as the prices differ materially.
Change it
The prompt is the interface. Ask for a different ticker, a different expiration window, or an extra column in the same sentence style and the agent edits the app in place — you do not start over, and you do not wait for anyone to build it.
Limitations
- Snapshot data, not a transaction tape: the build reads the chain as it stands, so it cannot attribute a trade to a buyer or a seller.
- Open interest updates once a day, so an intraday volume/OI comparison is always this session’s volume against yesterday’s open interest.
- Contract coverage is U.S. listed equities, ETFs and indices. Indices use the I: prefix, for example I:SPX.
- Current per-contract valuation is Massive fair market value (FMV), a proprietary estimate. cvforge does not provide option bids, asks, midpoint, quote sizes, NBBO or last trades, and FMV is not an executable quote.
- The surface is drawn from listed strikes and expirations only; gaps between them are interpolation, not data.
- Low-volume, low-open-interest contracts can leave isolated implied-volatility observations that deserve less weight.
Related demos
- AMD IV curve with a volume/OI overlay you can filter
- SPX 3D IV surface: six words, one working chart
- The SPX volatility surface as points in 3D space
Search focus: iv surface by delta and time. Related: delta based volatility surface, compare surfaces on common axis. Originally posted on X.