What do we know about individual equity options?

This paper examines the empirical literature on individual equity options, discussing results in areas of consensus, showing findings in areas of disagreement and providing a guide for future research (especially highlighting analyses that cannot be performed with index options). Key topics include the impact of equity option listings on the underlying stock market, option market efficiency, anomalies in equity option returns, option market microstructure, investors’ behavioral biases, option price discovery, and private information revealed in equity option markets. Some directions for future research include the determinants of equity option returns and the effect of algorithmic trading in option markets.     

The Effects of Economic Integration and Political Instability in Central America

We use stochastic frontier analysis to study the effects of political instability events and economic integration on technical efficiency. A set of industries in Central America are analyzed during a period of perceived lack of regional economic integration (1980s) and a period of renewed economic integration (early 1990s). Results show that economic integration has had a negative effect on technical efficiency during this period. The effect from political instability depends on the type of event, both at the industry and national level.