An important determinant of option prices is the elasticity of the pricing kernel used to price all claims in the economy. In this paper, we first show that for a given forward price of the underlying asset, option prices are higher when the elasticity of the pricing kernel is declining than...

We consider the demand for state contingent claims in the presence of a zero-mean, nonhedgeable background risk. An agent is defined to be generalized risk averse if he/she reacts to an increase in background risk by choosing a demand function for contingent claims with a smaller slope. We show...

An important determinant of option prices is the elasticity of the pricing kernel used to price all claims in the economy. In this paper, we first show that for a given forward price of the underlying asset, option prices are higher when the elasticity of the pricing kernel is declining than...

We define a class of risk-taking-neutral (RTN) background risks. These background risks have the property that they will not alter decisions made with respect to another risk, for individuals with HARA utility. If we wish to compare a decision made with and without some exogenous background...

We examine the effects of background risks on optimal portfolio choice. Examples of background risks include uncertain labor income, uncertainty about the terminal value of fixed assets such as housing and uncertainty about future tax liabilities. While some of these risks are additive and have...

In this paper we investigate models of the term structure where the factors are interest rates. As an example, we derive a no-arbitrage model of the term structure in which any two futures (as opposed to forward) rates act as factors. The term structure shifts and tilts as the factor rates vary....

This paper assumes that the underlying asset prices are lognormally distributed, and derives necessary and sufficient conditions for the valuation of options using a Blackâ€Scholes type methodology. It is shown that the price of a futuresâ€style, markedâ€toâ€market option is given by...

In this paper, we derive an equilibrium in which some investors buy call/put options on the market portfolio while others sell them. Also, some investors supply and others demand forward contracts. Since investors are assumed to have similar risk-averse preferences, the demand for these...

The choice of an agent between risky and riskless assets is complicated by the existence of idiosyncratic risk. In this paper the agent chooses state-dependent shares of aggregate marketable income (a sharing rule) to provide a partial hedge against the idiosyncratic risk. The agent's Utility...