We show that under the Black Scholes assumption the price of an arithmetic average Asian call option with fixed strike increases with the level of volatility. This statement is not trivial to prove and for other models in general wrong. In fact we demonstrate that in a simple binomial model no...

We propose a dynamically consistent framework that allows joint valuation and estimation of stock options and credit default swaps written on the same reference company. We model default as controlled by a Poisson process with a stochastic default arrival rate. When default occurs, the stock...

Using sovereign CDS spreads and currency option data for Mexico and Brazil, we document that CDS spreads covary with both the currency option implied volatility and the slope of the implied volatility curve in moneyness. We propose a joint valuation framework, in which currency return variance...

We document the behavior of over-the-counter currency option prices across moneyness, maturity, and calendar time on two of the most actively traded currency pairs over the past eight years. We find that on any given date, the conditional risk-neutral distribution of currency returns can show...

In 1993, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) introduced the CBOE Volatility Index. This index has become the de facto benchmark for stock market volatility. On September 22, 2003, the CBOE revamped the definition and calculation of the volatility index, and back-calculated the new index...

While American calls on non-dividend paying stocks may be valued as European, there is no completely explicit exact solution for the values of American puts. We introduce a novel technique called randomization to value American puts and calls on dividend-paying stocks. This technique yields a...

We consider the problem of optimal investment in a risky asset, and in derivatives written on the price process of this asset, when the underlying asset price process is a pure jump Levy process. The duality approach of Karatzas and Shreve is used to derive the optimal consumption and investment...

Many exotic options involve a payoff that occurs at the first time the stock price crosses a constant barrier. Although the amount to be paid is known, the time at which it is paid is not. This article shows how a static position in European options can be used to hedge against this timing risk....

While American calls on non-dividend paying stocks may be valued as European, there is no completely explicit exact solution for the values of American puts. We use a technique called randomization to value American puts and calls on dividend-paying stocks. This technique yields a new...

We document a surprising pattern in Samp;P 500 option prices. When implied volatilities are graphed against a standard measure of moneyness, the implied volatility smirk does not flatten out as maturity increases up to the observable horizon of two years. This behavior contrasts sharply with the...