Three general heading of derivatives
3 main differences between futures and forwards
List 5 groups of underlying assets
4 uses of arbitrage-free prices
Arbitrage Theorem
w/ 3 assets, 2 states, 1 step
ψi = premium for insurance paying $1 in state i = State (i) price
Consequence 1 of no arbitrage opportunities: What measure do we get?
Existence of risk adjusted probabilities
Q1=(1+r)ψ1
By the matrix equation we have ΣQi = 1
Consequence 2 of no arbitrage opportunities: What asset value behavior do we force?
Discounted expected value of any asset is a martingale
St=[Q1xS1(t+1)+Q2xS2(t+1)]/(1+r)
Consequence 3 of no arbitrage opportunities: What returns do we expect?
The expected risk adjusted return of any asset is risk free rate
(Rearrange consequence 2 for 1+r)
Consequence 4 of no arbitrage opportunities: What bounds does the risk free rate have?
Total risk free rate return (1+r) is bounded above and below by the gross returns in the most favorable and least favorable future states
Ψ1R1+Ψ2R2=1 => R1<1+r<R2
If r was greater/less than all possible returns, we would buy/short bonds to short/buy as much S as possible
Discounting expected value of assets at r in real world measure results in what?
A submartingale
St<[P1xS1(t+1)+P2xS2(t+1)]/(1+r)
Risky assets in the real world need some risk premium
Our First SDE: RW dynamics of stock prices
dSt = μtStdt + σtStdWt
μ creates predicted movement, σ is the unpredictable shock over time dt
Can no arbitrage opportunities condition exist in a world with stochastic interest rate?
Neftci 17
Yes, but it is not analytically tractable. Transformation from RN to forward measure reduces complexity
Describe the setting for normalization under the Forward Measure and how we get to forward risk adjusted probabilities
In a 2 step model with 4 possible states
Existence of ψij established
Transforming to forward measure changes risk adjusted probabilities to
πij = ψij/Bt1
What are the steps to use forward measure for pricing?
Because ψij>0, πij>0
We multiple expected asset price by corresponding entry of Bt1
B is thought of as the new discount rate
Ct1 = Bt1E[πijCij]
What are 3 important consequences of the forward measure and how does it work better than RN?
Forward adjusted probs satisfy Σπij = 1
Under classic RN measure, forward interest rate is biased, but unbiased in π
You do not need to model a bivariate process in π like you would in RN
What is the approximating sun for Riemann Integral
∫f(s)ds over [0,T] and the common explanation of it
Partition [0,T] into n intervals 0=t0<t1…<tn=T
The approximating sum is Σf((ti+ti+1)/2)(ti-ti+1)
Riemann suggests integral converges to sum of n disjoint rectangles
Riemann Integral in stochastic world
What happens/why?
Riemann integration fails! In stochastic environments, the functions vary too much because they involve the Wiener process
Classical Total Differential
Also breaks down in stochastic world
Let f(St, t) be a function of 2 variables. The total differential is defined as
df = (∂f/∂St)dSt + (∂f/∂t)dt
Taylor Expansion of a function around a point
Also breaks down in stochastic world
f(x) = Σ(1/n!)fn(a)(x-a)n
Taylor Expansion for functions of two variables
dV = (∂V/∂S)dS + (∂V/∂t)dt + 1/2(∂2V/∂S2)dS2 + 1/2(∂2V/∂t2)dt2 + (∂2V/∂S∂t)dSdt + …
Name and describe two popular approaches for pricing derivatives
Give the formula for the Stochastic Total Differential
Let F(St, rt, t) be a fn of 2 s.r.v. Then the total differential is
dF = FsdSt + Frdrt + Ftdt + 1/2 Fss(dSt)2 + 1/2 Frr(drt)2 + FsrdStdrt
List 4 Statistical facts about distribution tails under/vs Normal
Neftci 5
What is a Markov Process (in words and math)
A discrete process X1, …Xt,…
with pdf F(x1, …xn) is Markov if
P(Xt+s<=xt+s|x1, …xt) = P(Xt+s<=xt+s|xt)