We develop a general model to price VIX futures contracts. The model is adapted to test both the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) and the Cox–Ingersoll–Ross formulations, with and without jumps. Empirical tests on VIX futures prices provide out-of-sample estimates within 2% of the...

We examine the short-term dynamic relation between the S&P 500 (Nasdaq 100) index return and changes in implied volatility at both the daily and intraday level. Neither the leverage hypothesis nor the volatility feedback hypothesis adequately explains the results. Alternatively, we propose that...

An important component of theoretical CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) futures prices is a term correcting for the negative convexity of the square root function by subtracting from the forward-starting variance swap rate an estimate of the future volatility of VIX futures prices. In the same fashion...

We investigate whether employing individual commodity futures provides a superior optimized risk-return strategy relative to an equity portfolio, in spite of recently increasing correlations between commodity and equity markets. We first construct Markowitz mean-variance optimized portfolios of...