On accurate and provably efficient GARCH option pricing algorithms

The GARCH model has been very successful in capturing the serial correlation of asset return volatilities. As a result, applying the model to options pricing attracts a lot of attention. However, previous tree-based GARCH option pricing algorithms suffer from exponential running time, a cut-off maturity, inaccuracy, or some combination thereof. Specifically, this paper proves that the popular trinomial-tree option pricing algorithms of Ritchken and Trevor (Ritchken, P. and Trevor, R., Pricing options under generalized GARCH and stochastic volatility processes. J. Finance, , 54(1), 377–402.) and Cakici and Topyan (Cakici, N. and Topyan, K., The GARCH option pricing model: a lattice approach. J. Comput. Finance, , 3(4), 71–85.) explode exponentially when the number of partitions per day, n, exceeds a threshold determined by the GARCH parameters. Furthermore, when explosion happens, the tree cannot grow beyond a certain maturity date, making it unable to price derivatives with a longer maturity. As a result, the algorithms must be limited to using small n, which may have accuracy problems. The paper presents an alternative trinomial-tree GARCH option pricing algorithm. This algorithm provably does not have the short-maturity problem. Furthermore, the tree-size growth is guaranteed to be quadratic if n is less than a threshold easily determined by the model parameters. This level of efficiency makes the proposed algorithm practical. The surprising finding for the first time places a tree-based GARCH option pricing algorithm in the same complexity class as binomial trees under the Black–Scholes model. Extensive numerical evaluation is conducted to confirm the analytical results and the numerical accuracy of the proposed algorithm. Of independent interest is a simple and efficient technique to calculate the transition probabilities of a multinomial tree using generating functions.     

International commodity taxation in the presence of unemployment

In this paper, we evaluate the impact of commodity tax competition on welfare and employment under the destination and origin principles, when the labor market is imperfectly competitive owing to a binding fixed wage. Our main finding is that commodity taxation causes an employment externality whose signs may be opposite under the two principles. While tax competition leads to inefficient tax rates under both principles, we also prove that the origin principle guarantees lower unemployment and higher welfare when the fixed wage is high. Finally, we show that the employment externality still exists in a standard union model of wage determination.     

Investigating properties of commodity price responses to real and nominal shocks

This paper studies dynamic adjustments of 49 world commodity prices in response to innovations in the nominal exchange rate and the world real GDP. After we estimate the dynamic elasticity of the prices with respect to these shocks, we obtain the kernel density of our estimates to establish stylized facts on the adjustment process of the commodity price toward a new equilibrium path. Our empirical findings imply, on average, that the law of one price holds in the long-run, whereas the substantial degree of short-run price rigidity was observed in response to the nominal exchange rate shock. The real GDP shock tends to generate substantial price fluctuations in the short-run because adjustments of the supply can be limited, but have much weaker effects in the long-run as the supply eventually counterbalances the increase in the demand. Overall, we report persistent long-lasting effects of the nominal exchange rate shock on commodity prices relative to those of the real GDP shock.     

Regulatory reform and market efficiency: The case of Indian agricultural commodity futures markets

We present the results of two efficiency measures that include intraday return predictability measure based on order imbalance and measures of several variance ratio tests on intraday subsamples of nine major Indian agricultural commodity futures (castor seed, cotton oil cake, rape mustard seed, soybean, refined soya oil, crude palm oil, jeera, chana, and turmeric) quoted in the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX). We perform the efficiency measures on five subsamples with holding periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min over two sample periods following the announcement of the merger between the Forward Market Commission (FMC) and Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI). We compare results of tests of weak-form market efficiency of futures markets between two periods (pre-merger period and post-merger period). Our results confirm that Indian agricultural commodity futures markets continue to remain inefficient in the short-term during both pre-merger and post-merger periods. Based on these findings, it is likely that profitable trading strategies in the short intraday intervals will be available for traders and market participants during post-merger period. Thus, regulators must focus more on policy initiative so as to enhance market quality in order to address such inefficiencies in Indian commodity futures markets.     

清代赣南的生态与生计--兼析山区商品生产发展之限制

清代赣南山区的人口、土地和土地利用方式之间已经出现了一种相互制约的关系，外部市场的刺激亦无法从根本上改变这一土地利用方式，反而使情况更为严重。这样的生态和生计现实制约了赣南山区商品生产的进一步发展。赣南的例子说明，山区商品生产无法发展的原因不能用落后封建势力的压制来解释，人口、土地及土地利用方式之间的相互制约关系才是山区商品生产不能发展的根本原因．     

浅谈商品混凝土建筑楼面板裂缝产生的施工防治

商品混凝土大量使用于建筑施工中,楼面板裂缝引起的渗漏问题日趋严重,本文针对此问题,从几个方面作了论述。     

中国商品市场的合成指数分析

利用增长循环对我国商品市场进行景气分析,通过选取1999～2006年间与商品市场密切相关的重要经济指标,如工业增加值、进口总额、原材料购进价格指数和商品零售价格指数等,用美国商务部编制的方法将其合成为商品市场经济景气指数,以此作为观测不同类型商品市场波动的综合尺度,最后结合实际经济形势进行了合成指数分析,并提出了相关的政策建议.     

Stocks‐to‐use ratios and prices as indicators of vulnerability to spikes in global cereal markets

We identify critical stocks‐to‐use ratios (SURs) for major grains and for an index of total calories from these grains. The latter appears to be a promising indicator of vulnerability to large price spikes when the current price shows no cause for concern. More generally, our results suggest that stocks data, though no doubt unreliable, can be valuable complements to price data as indicators of vulnerability to shortages and price spikes.     

EDITORIAL

No abstract available for this article.     

基于面板数据模型的商品住宅价格上涨作用机理及实证研究——以西部地区7个中心城市为例

商品住宅价格上涨过快的现象,引起了广泛关注。探寻商品住宅价格上涨的作用机理显得非常重要。利用面板数据模型,对西部7个中心城市2002-2008年的商品住宅平均价格的实证研究表明:西部中心城市商品住宅价格形成过程中,起到显著作用的有城镇居民可支配收入水平、商品住宅竣工面积和国内生产总值三个主要动力因素。