The problem of pricing Bermudan options using Monte Carlo and a nonparametric regression is considered. We derive optimal non-asymptotic bounds for a lower biased estimate based on the suboptimal stopping rule constructed using some estimates of continuation values. These estimates may be of different nature, they may be local or global, with the only requirement being that the deviations of these estimates from the true continuation values can be uniformly bounded in probability. As an illustration, we discuss a class of local polynomial estimates which, under some regularity conditions, yield continuation values estimates possessing this property.
Pricing of financial derivatives, in particular early exercisable options such as Bermudan options, is an important but heavy numerical task in financial institutions, and its speed-up will provide a large business impact. Recently, applications of quantum computing to financial problems have been started to be investigated. In this paper, we first propose a quantum algorithm for Bermudan option pricing. This method performs the approximation of the continuation value, which is a crucial part of Bermudan option pricing, by Chebyshev interpolation, using the values at interpolation nodes estima…
We consider a defaultable asset whose risk-neutral pricing dynamics are described by an exponential Lévy-type martingale. This class of models allows for a local volatility, local default intensity and a locally dependent Lévy measure. We present a pricing method for Bermudan options based on an analytical approximation of the characteristic function combined with the COS method. Due to a special form of the obtained characteristic function the price can be computed using a Fast Fourier Transform-based algorithm resulting in a fast and accurate calculation. The Greeks can be computed at almost…
The pricing and hedging of a general class of options (including American, Bermudan and European options) on multiple assets are studied in the context of currency markets where trading is subject to proportional transaction costs, and where the existence of a risk-free numéraire is not assumed. Constructions leading to algorithms for computing the prices, optimal hedging strategies and stopping times are presented for both long and short option positions in this setting, together with probabilistic (martingale) representations for the option prices.
This paper presents a multinomial method for option pricing when the underlying asset follows an exponential Variance Gamma process. The continuous time Variance Gamma process is approximated by a discrete time Markov chain with the same firsts four cumulants. This approach is particularly convenient for pricing American and Bermudan options, which can be exercised at any time up to expiration date. Numerical computations of European and American options are presented, and compared with results obtained with finite differences methods and with the Black Scholes model.
We synthesize and discuss some new developments in econophysics. In doing so, we focus on option pricing. We relax the assumptions of constant volatility and interest rate. In doing so, we rely on the square root of the Brownian motion. We also provide simple, closed-form pricing formulas for the American and Bermudan options.
We propose a new jump-diffusion process, the Heston-Queue-Hawkes (HQH) model, combining the well-known Heston model and the recently introduced Queue-Hawkes (Q-Hawkes) jump process. Like the Hawkes process, the HQH model can capture the effects of self-excitation and contagion. However, since the characteristic function of the HQH process is known in closed-form, Fourier-based fast pricing algorithms, like the COS method, can be fully exploited with this model. Furthermore, we show that by using partial integrals of the characteristic function, which are also explicitly known for the HQH proce…
In this paper we present a new multi-asset pricing model, which is built upon newly developed families of solvable multi-parameter single-asset diffusions with a nonlinear smile-shaped volatility and an affine drift. Our multi-asset pricing model arises by employing copula methods. In particular, all discounted single-asset price processes are modeled as martingale diffusions under a risk-neutral measure. The price processes are so-called UOU diffusions and they are each generated by combining a variable (Ito) transformation with a measure change performed on an underlying Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (…
In this paper we consider three types of embedded options in pension benefit design. The first is the Florida second election (FSE) option, offered to public employees in the state of Florida in 2002. Employees were given the option to convert from a defined contribution (DC) plan to a defined benefit (DB) plan at a time of their choosing. The cost of the switch was assessed in terms of the ABO (Accrued Benefit Obligation), which is the expected present value of the accrued DB pension at the time of the switch. If the ABO was greater than the DC account, the employee was required to fund the d…
In this article, we consider the optimal execution problem associated to accelerated share repurchase contracts. When firms want to repurchase their own shares, they often enter such a contract with a bank. The bank buys the shares for the firm and is paid the average market price over the execution period, the length of the period being decided upon by the bank during the buying process. Mathematically, the problem is new and related to both option pricing (Asian and Bermudan options) and optimal execution. We provide a model, along with associated numerical methods, to determine the optimal …
We analyze the empirical performance of several non-parametric estimators of the pricing functional for European options, using historical put and call prices on the S&P500 during the year 2012. Two main families of estimators are considered, obtained by estimating the pricing functional directly, and by estimating the (Black-Scholes) implied volatility surface, respectively. In each case simple estimators based on linear interpolation are constructed, as well as more sophisticated ones based on smoothing kernels, à la Nadaraya-Watson. The results based on the analysis of the empirical pricing…
This paper extends the Singular Fourier--Padé (SFP) method proposed by Chan (2018) to pricing/hedging early-exercise options--Bermudan, American and discrete-monitored barrier options--under a Lévy process. The current SFP method is incorporated with the Filon--Clenshaw--Curtis (FCC) rules invented by Domínguez et al. (2011), and we call the new method SFP--FCC. The main purpose of using the SFP--FCC method is to require a small number of terms to yield fast error convergence and to formulate option pricing and option Greek curves rather than individual prices/Greek values. We also numerically…
In this paper we extend Buchen's method to develop a new technique for pricing of some exotic options with several expiry dates(more than 3 expiry dates) using a concept of higher order binary option. At first we introduce the concept of higher order binary option and then provide the pricing formulae of $n$-th order binaries using PDE method. After that, we apply them to pricing of some multiple-expiry exotic options such as Bermudan option, multi time extendable option, multi shout option and etc. Here, when calculating the price of concrete multiple-expiry exotic options, we do not try to g…
In this paper we propose two efficient techniques which allow one to compute the price of American basket options. In particular, we consider a basket of assets that follow a multi-dimensional Black-Scholes dynamics. The proposed techniques, called GPR Tree (GRP-Tree) and GPR Exact Integration (GPR-EI), are both based on Machine Learning, exploited together with binomial trees or with a closed formula for integration. Moreover, these two methods solve the backward dynamic programming problem considering a Bermudan approximation of the American option. On the exercise dates, the value of the op…
Deep Least Squares Monte Carlo methods for the valuation of variable annuities with guarantees
Guangdong Provincial/Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research and Application for Data Science, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University（北京师范大学-香港浸会大学联合国际学院数据科学交叉研究与应用广东省/珠海重点实验室）；Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics, Macquarie University（麦考瑞大学精算研究与商业分析系）；Department of Mathematics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology（香港科技大学数学系）
In this paper the zero vanna implied volatility approximation for the price of freshly minted volatility swaps is generalised to seasoned volatility swaps. We also derive how volatility swaps can be hedged using a strip of vanilla options with weights that are directly related to trading intuition. Additionally, we derive first and second order hedges for volatility swaps using only variance swaps. As dynamically trading variance swaps is in general cheaper and operationally less cumbersome compared to dynamically rebalancing a continuous strip of options, our result makes the hedging of volat…
We provide representations of solutions to terminal value problems of inhomogeneous Black-Scholes equations and studied such general properties as min-max estimates, gradient estimates, monotonicity and convexity of the solutions with respect to the stock price variable, which are important for financial security pricing. In particular, we focus on finding representation of the gradient (with respect to the stock price variable) of solutions to the terminal value problems with discontinuous terminal payoffs or inhomogeneous terms. Such terminal value problems are often encountered in pricing p…
Is an option to early terminate a swap at its market value worth zero? At first sight it is, but in presence of counterparty risk it depends on the criteria used to determine such market value. In case of a single uncollateralised swap transaction under ISDA between two defaultable counterparties, the additional unilateral option to early terminate the swap at predefined dates requires a Bermudan credit valuation adjustment. We give a general pricing formula assuming a default-free close-out amount, and apply it in a simplified setting with deterministic intensity and one single date of option…
We propose a new approach to solve optimal stopping problems via simulation. Working within the backward dynamic programming/Snell envelope framework, we augment the methodology of Longstaff-Schwartz that focuses on approximating the stopping strategy. Namely, we introduce adaptive generation of the stochastic grids anchoring the simulated sample paths of the underlying state process. This allows for active learning of the classifiers partitioning the state space into the continuation and stopping regions. To this end, we examine sequential design schemes that adaptively place new design point…
We study American swaptions in the linear-rational (LR) term structure model introduced in [5]. The American swaption pricing problem boils down to an optimal stopping problem that is analytically tractable. It reduces to a free-boundary problem that we tackle by the local time-space calculus of [7]. We characterize the optimal stopping boundary as the unique solution to a nonlinear integral equation that can be readily solved numerically. We obtain the arbitrage-free price of the American swaption and the optimal exercise strategies in terms of swap rates for both fixed-rate payer and receive…
This paper is devoted to pricing American options using Monte Carlo and the Malliavin calculus. Unlike the majority of articles related to this topic, in this work we will not use localization fonctions to reduce the variance. Our method is based on expressing the conditional expectation E[f(St)/Ss] using the Malliavin calculus without localization. Then the variance of the estimator of E[f(St)/Ss] is reduced using closed formulas, techniques based on a conditioning and a judicious choice of the number of simulated paths. Finally, we perform the stopping times version of the dynamic programmin…
