Effective Markovian Projection : Application to CMS Spread Options and Mid-Curve Swaptions

Pricing of interest rate derivatives, such as CMS spread or mid-curve options, depends on modelling the underlying single rates. For flexibility and realism, these rates are often described in the framework of stochastic volatility models. In this paper, we allow rates to be modelled within a class of general stochastic volatility models, which includes SABR, ZABR, free SABR and Heston models. We provide a versatile technique called Effective Markovian Projection, which allows a tractable model to be found that mimics the distribution of the more complex models used to price multi-rate derivatives. Three different numerical approaches are outlined and applied to relevant examples from practice. Finally, a new method that involves moment-matching of Johnson distributions is applied to facilitate closed-form pricing formulas