Smile Pricing Explained

Table of Contents

Download »

List of symbols

Acknowledgements

Preface

1 Introduction to Derivatives

1.1 Hedging with Forward Contracts

1.2 Speculation with Forward Contracts

1.3 Arbitrage

1.4 Vanilla Options

1.5 Interest Rates

1.6 Valuing a Forward Contract

1.7 Key Points

1.8 Further Reading

2 Stochastic Calculus

2.1 Brownian Motion

2.2 Stochastic Model for Stock Price Evolution

2.3 Ito's Lemma

2.4 The Product Rule

2.5 Log Normal Stock Price Evolution

2.6 The Markov Property

2.7 Term Structure

2.8 Ito's Lemma in More than One Dimension

2.9 Key Points

2.10 Further Reading

3 Martingale Pricing

3.1 Setting the Scene

3.2 Tradeable Assets

3.3 Zero Coupon Bond

3.4 Rolling Money Market Account

3.5 Choosing a Numeraire

3.6 Changing the Measure

3.7 Girsanov's Theorem

3.8 Martingales

3.9 Continuous Martingales

3.10 Black-Scholes Formula for a Call Option

3.11 At-The-Money Options

3.12 The Black-Scholes Equation

3.13 An Elegant Derivation of the Black-Scholes Formula

3.14 Key Points

3.15 Further Reading

4 Dynamic Hedging and Replication

4.1 Dynamic Hedging in the Absence of Interest Rates

4.2 Dynamic Hedging With Interest Rates

4.3 Delta Hedging

4.4 The Greeks

4.5 Gamma, Vega and Time Decay

4.6 Vega and Volatility Trading

4.7 Key Points

4.8 Further Reading

5 Exotic Options in Black-Scholes

5.1 European Options

5.2 Asian Options

5.3 Continuous Barrier Options

5.3.1 The Reflection Principle

5.3.2 The Reflection Principle with Log-Normal Dynamic

5.3.3 Valuing Barrier Options in Black-Scholes

5.3.4 Discretely Monitored Barrier Options

5.4 Key Points

5.5 Further Reading

6 Smile Models

6.1 The Volatility Smile

6.2 Smile Implied Probability Distribution

6.3 The Forward Kolmogorov Equation

6.4 Local Volatility

6.5 Key Points

6.6 Further Reading

7 Stochastic Volatility

7.1 Properties of Stochastic Volatility Models

7.2 The Heston Model

7.2.1 What Makes the Heston Model Special

7.2.2 Solving for Vanilla Prices

7.2.3 The Feller Boundary Condition

7.3 The SABR Model

7.4 The Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process

7.5 Mixture Models

7.6 Regime Switching Model

7.7 Calibrating Stochastic Volatility Models

7.8 Key Points

7.9 Further Reading

8 Numerical Techniques

8.1 Monte Carlo

8.1.1 Monte Carlo in One Dimension

8.1.2 Monte Carlo in More than One Dimension

8.1.3 Variance Reduction in Monte Carlo

8.1.4 Limitations of Monte Carlo

8.2 The PDE Approach

8.2.1 Stable and Unstable Schemes

8.2.2 Choice of Scheme

8.2.3 Other Ways of Improving Accuracy

8.2.4 More Complex Contracts in PDE

8.2.5 Solving Higher Dimension PDEs

8.3 Key Points

8.4 Further Reading

9 Local Stochastic Volatility

9.1 The Fundamental Theorem of On-smile Pricing

9.2 Arbitrage in Implied Volatility Surfaces

9.3 Two Extremes of Smile Dynamic

9.3.1 Sticky Strike Dynamics

9.3.2 Sticky Delta Dynamics

9.4 Local Stochastic Volatility

9.5 Simplifying Models

9.5.1 Spot-Volatility Correlation

9.5.2 Term Structure Vega for a Barrier Option

9.5.3 Simplifying Stochastic Volatility Parameters

9.5.4 Risk Managing with Local Stochastic Volatility Models

9.6 Practical Calibration

9.7 Impact of mixing on contract values

9.8 Key Points

9.9 Further Reading

10 Volatility Products

10.1 Overview

10.2 Variance Swaps

10.2.1 The Variance Swap Contract

10.2.2 Idealised Variance Swap Trade

10.2.3 Valuing the Idealised Trade

10.2.4 Beauty in Variance Swaps

10.2.5 Delta and Gamma of a Variance Swap

10.2.6 Practical Considerations

10.3 Volatility Swaps

10.3.1 Volatility Swap in Stochastic Volatility Models and LSV

10.3.2 Volatility Swap Versus Variance Swap

10.3.3 Valuing a Volatility Swap

10.3.4 Stochastic Versus Local Volatility

10.4 Forward Volatility Agreements

10.4.1 Practicalities

10.5 Key Points

10.6 Further Reading

11 Multi-Asset

11.1 Overview

11.2 Local Volatility with Constant Correlation

11.3 Copulas

11.4 Correlation Smile

11.5 Marking Correlation Smile

11.5.1 Common Correlation Products

11.5.2 The Triangle Rule

11.6 Modelling

11.6.1 Local Correlation

11.6.2 Practicalities

11.6.3 Local stochastic correlation

11.7 Valuing European Contracts

11.7.1 Special Properties of Best-of Options

11.7.2 Valuing a Best-of Option in Black-Scholes

11.7.3 Construction of a Joint PDF

11.7.4 Using the Density Function for Pricing

11.8 Numeraire Symmetry

11.9 Baskets as Correlation Instruments

11.10 Summary

11.11 Key Points

11.12 Further Reading

Afterword

Appendix: Measure Theory and Girsanov's Theorem

References

Further Reading

Index