This working paper was written by Cho-Hoi Hui (Hong Kong Monetary Authority), Chi-Fai Lo (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Ho-Yan Ip (The Chinese University of Hong Kong).Asymmetric behaviour has been documented in unemployment rates which increase quickly in recessions but decline...

This paper develops a valuation model of European options incorporating a stochastic default barrier, which extends a constant default barrier proposed in the Hull-White model. The default barrier is considered as an option writer's liability. Closed-form solutions of vulnerable European option...

Time dependent barrier options have barrier periods covering a portion of option life. This feature makes them hybrids of barrier options and ordinary European options. There are two types of time dependent barrier options: 1. front end barrier options; 2. rear end barrier options. The options...

This paper presents a benchmarking model for validation of default probabilities of listed companies for Basel II purposes. The model is based on the recent studies on the predictive capability of structural credit risk models. Benchmark ratings and one-year default probabilities are assigned to...

This paper investigates the determinants of variations in the yield spreads (swap spreads) between Hong Kong dollar interest rate swaps and Exchange Fund paper for a period from July 2002 to April 2008. A vector error-correction model is used to analyze the impact of various shocks on swap...

In this paper we have derived the analytical kernels of the pricing formulae of the CEV knockout options with time-dependent parameters for a parametric class of moving barriers. By a series of similarity transformations and changing variables, we are able to reduce the pricing equation to one...

An exchange rate model with crash risk is developed with the exchange rate confined in a wide moving band. A currency crash occurs when its exchange rate breaches a boundary. Using an asymmetric mean-reverting fundamental shock to incorporate intervention policy in the model, the log-normalised...