This paper examines the ability of twelve different continuous-time two-factor models with mean-reverting stochastic volatility to capture the dynamics of the S&P 500 and three European equity indices. The stochastic volatility models are the square root variance, GARCH, and log volatility...

This paper implements a variety of different calibration methods applied to the Heston model and examines their effect on the performance of standard and minimum-variance hedging of vanilla options on the FTSE 100 index. Simple adjustments to the Black-Scholes-Merton model are used as a...

This article introduces generalized beta-generated (GBG) distributions. Sub-models include all classical beta-generated, Kumaraswamy-generated and exponentiated distributions. They are maximum entropy distributions under three intuitive conditions, which show that the classical beta generator...

Different theoretical and numerical methods for calculating the fair-value of a variance swap give rise to systematic biases that are most pronounced during volatile periods. For instance, differences of 10-20 percentage points would have been observed on fair-value index variance swap rates...

Most banks employ historical simulation for Value-at-Risk (VaR) calculations, where VaR is computed from a lower quantile of a forecast distribution for the portfolio's profit and loss (P\&L) that is constructed from a single, multivariate historical sample on the portfolio's risk factors. The...

A comprehensive description of the trading and statistical characteristics of VIX futures and their exchange-traded notes motivates our study of their benefits to equity investors seeking to diversify their exposure. We analyze when diversification into VIX futures is ex-ante optimal for...

We study the empirical performance of the classical minimum-variance hedging strategy, comparing several econometric models for estimating hedge ratios of crude oil, gasoline and heating oil crack spreads. Given the great variability and large jumps in both spot and futures prices, great care is...

Whether proxied by the amount raised or the probability that this amount exceeds the soft cap, the factors driving fundraising success of token offerings have changed considerably over the past four years. Possible factors include target market cap for the token, genuine signals of the venture's...