Options depending on the forward skew are very popular. One such option is the forward starting call option - the basic building block of a cliquet option. Widely applied models to account for the forward skew dynamics to price such options include the Heston model, the Heston-Hull-White model...

The optimal portfolio of a utility-maximizing investor trading in the S&P 500 index and cash, subject to proportional transaction costs, becomes stochastically dominated when overlaid with a zero-net-cost portfolio of S&P 500 options bought at their ask and written at their bid price in most...

This paper provides a number of relevant guidelines to build a consistent Volatility Smile accounting for the FX market conventions. This consistency is understood as fitting a model which is able to price vanilla options across all possible strikes given the knowledge of a few market...

In May of 1997, in the midst of the internet bubble, the average month end P/E ratio for the software industry was 44. However, the five year historical average was 31. In this study we examine the effect of this industry value fluctuation on the effects of option prices. We examine the...

We estimate the size of the wildcard premium embedded in cash-settled American-style options. Similar to simulation results reported by Fleming and Whaley (1994), we find the wildcard premium significantly impacts the valuations of American-style put and call options. Furthermore, we find that...

We explore the feasibility of creating a covered call ETF within BRIC countries to serve the growing global demand for emerging market investments having attractive risk and return characteristics Our findings suggest that currently among BRIC nations India alone has stock and options markets...

We prove here a general closed-form expansion formula for forward-start options and the forward implied volatility smile in a large class of models, including the Heston stochastic volatility and time-changed exponential Levy models.This expansion applies to both small and large maturities and...

I show that the inventory risk faced by market-makers has a first-order effect on option prices. I introduce a simple approach that decomposes the price impact of trades into inventory risk and asymmetric information components. While both components are large for option trades, the inventory...

Prior research documents that volatility spreads predict stock returns. If the trading activity of informed investors is an important driver of volatility spreads, then the predictability of stock returns should be more pronounced during major information events. This paper investigates whether...

This paper investigates the information content of options prior to the S&P 500 Index inclusion and exclusion announcements. These announcements are unique events since they are not announced by the firm and, as stated by S&P, they should convey no new information. In addition, the large...