We examine the forecast quality of Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) implied volatility indexes based on the Standard and Poor's 100 and Nasdaq 100 stock indexes. We find that the forecast quality of CBOE implied volatilities for the Samp;P 100 (VIX) has significantly improved in recent...

The generalized lambda distribution is proposed as a useful model for security price distributions. Originally used to generate random variables with varied skewness and kurtosis values in Monte Carlo simulations, proposed financial applications include estimation of state price densities from...

We investigate the effectiveness of several well-known parametric and nonparametric event study test statistics with security price data from the major Asia-Pacific security markets. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation experiments with actual daily security returns data reveal that the parametric...

A hidden martingale restriction is developed for option pricing models based on Gram-Charlier expansions of the normal density function. The restriction is hidden behind a reduction in parameter space for the Gram-Charlier expansion coefficients. The resulting restriction is invisible in the...

The academic literature generally concludes that the Black-Scholes model overstates the value of employee stock options (ESOs). In particular, because ESOs cannot be traded, employee risk aversion often elicits premature exercise. As a result, the ESO is less valuable than a traded option. An...

The Black-Scholes* option pricing model is commonly applied to value a wide range of option contracts. However, the model often inconsistently prices deep in-the-money and deep out-of-the-money options. Options professionals refer to this well-known phenomenon as a volatility 'skew' or 'smile'....

A hidden martingale restriction is developed for option pricing models based on Gram–Charlier expansions of the normal density function. The restriction is hidden behind a reduction in parameter space for the Gram–Charlier expansion coefficients. The resulting restriction is invisible in the...

Executive stock options with a rising strike price are a recent innovation in executive compensation in Australia and New Zealand. These options combine a dividend protection feature and a strike price that increases at a hurdle rate set with reference to a cost of capital estimate. With a...

We examine the reaction of the equity options market to accounting earnings announcements over the period 1996–2008 using changes in implied volatility to measure the options market response to earnings news. We find that positive earnings surprises and positive profit announcements produce a...