Regime‐dependent smile‐adjusted delta hedging

We introduce several regime‐dependent smile‐adjusted deltas and compare their efficiency with the smile‐adjusted deltas that are popular with option traders. Using years of daily option prices, out‐of‐sample hedging performance tests for options of all moneyness and maturities and daily, weekly, or fortnightly rebalancing show that even the simplest regime‐dependent smile‐adjustment consistently outperforms implied BSM delta hedging and local volatility and minimum variance smile‐adjustments. Markov‐switching deltas offer the best performance, with delta‐hedging errors often half the size of implied BSM hedging errors. During volatile markets risk reduction from regime‐dependent delta hedging is much greater than during tranquil periods.     

Arithmetic variance swaps

Biases in standard variance swap rates (VSRs) can induce substantial deviations below market rates. Defining realized variance as the sum of squared price (not log-price) changes yields an ‘arithmetic’ variance swap with no such biases. Its fair value has advantages over the standard VSR: no discrete monitoring or jump biases; and the same value applies for any monitoring frequency, even irregular monitoring and to any underlying, including those taking zero or negative values. We derive the fair value for the arithmetic variance swap and compare it with the standard VSR by: analysing errors introduced by interpolation and integration techniques; numerical experiments for approximation accuracy; and using 23 years of FTSE 100 options data to explore the empirical properties of arithmetic variance (and higher moment) swaps. The FTSE 100 variance risk has a strong negative correlation with the implied third moment, which can be captured using a higher moment arithmetic swap.     

"Meteor showers" and "heat waves" in Greek financial markets

This paper examines the presence of "meteor showers" and "heat waves" effects in Greek financial markets. In particular, the relationship between the stock market price index volatility and the volatility of three exchange rates (U.S. dollar, deutsche mark, and ECU) recorded on a daily basis is investigated. The results provide evidence in favor of the "heat wave" hypothesis, while the "meteor shower" hypothesis was observed only with respect to the U.S. dollar.We would like to thank, without implicating, participants in the Country Studies session of the 43rd International Atlantic Economic Conference held in London, England and especially Dorota Witkowska for helpful comments and suggestions.     

Georg Charasoff: A Pioneer in the Theory of Linear Production Systems

This paper exposes mathematically Charasoff s results on linear production systems. Charasoff developed an algorithm for the iterative calculation of the Leontief inverse, the concepts of basic and non-basic commodities, as well as the Srajfian standard system. This allowed him, given the real wage rate, to calculate the profit rate independently of prices as the ratio of two physically homogeneous magnitudes, and then the prices for an already given profit rate. Therefore, as early as 1910, Charasoff had developed significant concepts of the theory of linear production systems, which long afterwards became more broadly known through the works of Leontief and Sraffa.