Liquidity considerations in estimating implied volatility

Some option series in the market are far less liquid than others. Market illiquidity can reduce the informativeness of option prices. In this paper, we propose alternative schemes to estimate implied volatility while reducing the importance attached to illiquid options. Using data for index options traded at the National Stock Exchange in India, we and that the performance of a liquidity weighted scheme is superior to that of more conventional schemes such as the vega weights, the volatility elasticity weights and the traditional vxo. Liquidity weights offers the possibility of improved implied volatility estimation in situations where there is strong cross-sectional variation in option market liquidity.