We propose a non-structural method to retrieve the risk-neutral density (RND) impliedby options on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). The methodology is based on orthogonalpolynomial expansions around a kernel density and yields the RND of the underlyingasset without the need for a parametric...

This paper considers ML estimation of a diffusion process observed discretely. Since the exact loglikelihood is generally not available, it must be approximated. We review the most effcient approaches in the literature, and point to some drawbacks. We propose to approximate the loglikelihood...

This paper considers ML estimation of a diffusion process observed discretely. Since the exact loglikelihood is generally not available, it must be approximated. We review the most effcient approaches in the literature, and point to some drawbacks. We propose to approximate the loglikelihood...

Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is difficult because in general the transition density function of these processes is not known in closed form, and has to be approximated somehow. An approximation based on efficient importance sampling (EIS) is...