Evaluation of Black-Scholes and GARCH Models Using Currency Call Options Data

This paper empirically examines the performance of Black-Scholes and Garch-M call option pricing models using call options data for British Pounds, Swiss Francs and Japanese Yen. The daily exchange rates exhibit an overwhelming presence of volatility clustering, suggesting that a richer model with ARCH/GARCH effects might have a better fit with actual prices. We perform dominant tests and calculate average percent mean squared errors of model prices. Our findings indicate that the Black-Scholes model outperforms the GARCH models. An implication of this result is that participants in the currency call options market do not seem to price volatility clusters in the underlying process.     

宝钢权证定价分析

基于Black-Scholes模型对宝钢权证的建模分析，我们发现：1．在股改前后，宝钢股票价格收益率的波动率变化显著，这一变化会影响对权证的估价。2．宝钢权证的市场价格偏高的原因既可能有对宝钢权证波动率低估的因素，也可能有市场投机交易的因素。     

控制变量技术在美式期权定价中的应用

全球期权交易大多是美式期权，但美式期权的路径依赖特征导致其比欧式期权定价更具复杂性。Black-Scholes定价模型对美式看跌期权不存在解析公式，无法求其精确解。一些比较成熟的数值计算方法对美式期权定价有局限性：如Monte Carlo模拟法是前导程序，而美式期权的边界是自由的，故Monte Carlo模拟法不能正确对其定价；二叉树定价模型虽然适合各种期权估价，但存在缺陷，如精度问题。控制变量技术是一种方差缩减方法，利用控制变量技术修正二叉树定价模型定价的美式期权价值，可以提高美式期权估值的精度。     

From Discrete- to Continuous-Time Finance: Weak Convergence of the Financial Gain Process1

Conditions suitable for applications in finance are given for the weak convergence (or convergence in probability) of stochastic integrals. For example, consider a sequence Sⁿ of security price processes converging in distribution to S and a sequence θⁿ of trading strategies converging in distribution to θ. We survey conditions under which the financial gain process θⁿ dSⁿ converges in distribution to θ dS. Examples include convergence from discrete- to continuous-time settings and, in particular, generalizations of the convergence of binomial option replication models to the Black-Scholes model. Counterexamples are also provided.     

The bias in Black-Scholes/Black implied volatility: An analysis of equity and energy markets

In this paper we examine the extent of the bias between Black and Scholes (1973)/Black (1976) implied volatility and realized term volatility in the equity and energy markets. Explicitly modeling a market price of volatility risk, we extend previous work by demonstrating that Black-Scholes is an upward-biased predictor of future realized volatility in S&P 500/S&P 100 stock-market indices. Turning to the Black options-on-futures formula, we apply our methodology to options on energy contracts, a market in which crises are characterized by a positive correlation between price-returns and volatilities: After controlling for both term-structure and seasonality effects, our theoretical and empirical findings suggest a similar upward bias in the volatility implied in energy options contracts. We show the bias in both Black-Scholes/Black implied volatilities to be related to a negative market price of volatility risk. JEL Classification G12 · G13     

Arbitrage Values Generally Depend On A Parametric Rate of Return

Let X denote a positive Markov stochastic integral, and let S ( t , μ) = exp(μ t ) X ( t ) represent the price of a security at time t with infinitesimal rate of return μ. Contingent claim (option) pricing formulas typically do not depend on μ. We show that if a contingent claim is not equivalent to a call option having exercise price equal to zero, then security prices having this property—option prices do not depend on μ—must satisfy: for some V (0, T ), In( S ( t , μ) X ( V )) is Gaussian on a time interval [ V, T ], and hence S ( t , μ) has independent observed returns. With more assumptions, V = 0, and there exist equivalent martingale measures.     

Perfect option hedging for a large trader

Standard derivative pricing theory is based on the assumption of agents acting as price takers on the market for the underlying asset. We relax this hypothesis and study if and how a large agent whose trades move prices can replicate the payoff of a derivative security. Our analysis extends prior work of Jarrow to economies with continuous security trading. We characterize the solution to the hedge problem in terms of a nonlinear partial differential equation and provide results on existence and uniqueness of this equation. Simulations are used to compare the hedging strategies in our model to standard Black-Scholes strategies.     

中国权证市场理论价格与实际价格差异分析

中国权证市场近年得到了快速发展,但仍存在诸多问题,如何进行合理的价值评估就是其中一个方面。Black—Scholes期权定价公式作为期权定价的经典方法,其有效性在发达国家已得到验证。本文通过比较中国权证市场上交易品种的理论价格和实际价格的差异,并分析相关的影响因素,来为中国权证市场的追一步完善提出自己的建议。     

The pricing of basket-spread options

Since the pioneering paper of Black and Scholes was published in 1973, enormous research effort has been spent on finding a multi-asset variant of their closed-form option pricing formula. In this paper, we generalize the Kirk [Managing Energy Price Risk, 1995] approximate formula for pricing a two-asset spread option to the case of a multi-asset basket-spread option. All the advantageous properties of being simple, accurate and efficient are preserved. As the final formula retains the same functional form as the Black–Scholes formula, all the basket-spread option Greeks are also derived in closed form. Numerical examples demonstrate that the pricing and hedging errors are in general less than 1% relative to the benchmark results obtained by numerical integration or Monte Carlo simulation with 10 million paths. An implicit correction method is further applied to reduce the pricing errors by factors of up to 100. The correction is governed by an unknown parameter, whose optimal value is found by solving a non-linear equation. Owing to its simplicity, the computing time for simultaneous pricing and hedging of basket-spread option with 10 underlying assets or less is kept below 1 ms. When compared against the existing approximation methods, the proposed basket-spread option formula coupled with the implicit correction turns out to be one of the most robust and accurate methods.