It is known that Heston's stochastic volatility model exhibits moment explosion, and that the critical moment $s_+$ can be obtained by solving (numerically) a simple equation. This yields a leading order expansion for the implied volatility at large strikes: $σ_{BS}( k,T)^{2}T\sim Ψ(s_+-1) \times k$ (Roger Lee's moment formula). Motivated by recent "tail-wing" refinements of this moment formula, we first derive a novel tail expansion for the Heston density, sharpening previous work of Dragulescu and Yakovenko [Quant. Finance 2, 6 (2002), 443--453], and then show the validity of a refined expansion of the type $σ_{BS}( k,T) ^{2}T=( β_{1}k^{1/2}+β_{2}+...)^{2}$, where all constants are explicitly known as functions of $s_+$, the Heston model parameters, spot vol and maturity $T$. In the case of the "zero-correlation" Heston model such an expansion was derived by Gulisashvili and Stein [Appl. Math. Optim. 61, 3 (2010), 287--315]. Our methods and results may prove useful beyond the Heston model: the entire quantitative analysis is based on affine principles: at no point do we need knowledge of the (explicit, but cumbersome) closed form expression of the Fourier transform of $\log S_{T}$\ (equivalently: Mellin transform of $S_{T}$ ); what matters is that these transforms satisfy ordinary differential equations of Riccati type. Secondly, our analysis reveals a new parameter ("critical slope"), defined in a model free manner, which drives the second and higher order terms in tail- and implied volatility expansions.
In this paper we investigate the asymptotics of forward-start options and the forward implied volatility smile in the Heston model as the maturity approaches zero. We prove that the forward smile for out-of-the-money options explodes and compute a closed-form high-order expansion detailing the rate of the explosion. Furthermore the result shows that the square-root behaviour of the variance process induces a singularity such that for certain parameter configurations one cannot obtain high-order out-of-the-money forward smile asymptotics. In the at-the-money case a separate model-independent an…
We provide a full characterisation of the large-maturity forward implied volatility smile in the Heston model. Although the leading decay is provided by a fairly classical large deviations behaviour, the algebraic expansion providing the higher-order terms highly depends on the parameters, and different powers of the maturity come into play. As a by-product of the analysis we provide new implied volatility asymptotics, both in the forward case and in the spot case, as well as extended SVI-type formulae. The proofs are based on extensions and refinements of sharp large deviations theory, in par…
We study here the large-time behaviour of all continuous affine stochastic volatility models (in the sense of Keller-Ressel) and deduce a closed-form formula for the large-maturity implied volatility smile. Based on refinements of the Gartner-Ellis theorem on the real line, our proof reveals pathological behaviours of the asymptotic smile. In particular, we show that the condition assumed in Gatheral and Jacquier under which the Heston implied volatility converges to the SVI parameterisation is necessary and sufficient.
We introduce a novel multi-factor Heston-based stochastic volatility model, which is able to reproduce consistently typical multi-dimensional FX vanilla markets, while retaining the (semi)-analytical tractability typical of affine models and relying on a reasonable number of parameters. A successful joint calibration to real market data is presented together with various in- and out-of-sample calibration exercises to highlight the robustness of the parameters estimation. The proposed model preserves the natural inversion and triangulation symmetries of FX spot rates and its functional form, ir…
The Heston model stands out from the class of stochastic volatility (SV) models mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the process for the volatility is non-negative and mean-reverting, which is what we observe in the markets. Secondly, there exists a fast and easily implemented semi-analytical solution for European options. In this article we adapt the original work of Heston (1993) to a foreign exchange (FX) setting. We discuss the computational aspects of using the semi-analytical formulas, performing Monte Carlo simulations, checking the Feller condition, and option pricing with FFT. In an empir…
In this paper we prove an approximate formula expressed in terms of elementary functions for the implied volatility in the Heston model. The formula consists of the constant and first order terms in the large maturity expansion of the implied volatility function. The proof is based on saddlepoint methods and classical properties of holomorphic functions.
We present an option pricing formula for European options in a stochastic volatility model. In particular, the volatility process is defined using a fractional integral of a diffusion process and both the stock price and the volatility processes have jumps in order to capture the market effect known as leverage effect. We show how to compute a martingale representation for the volatility process. Finally, using Itô calculus for processes with discontinuous trajectories, we develop a first order approximation formula for option prices. There are two main advantages in the usage of such approxim…
We prove here a general closed-form expansion formula for forward-start options and the forward implied volatility smile in a large class of models, including the Heston stochastic volatility and time-changed exponential Lévy models. This expansion applies to both small and large maturities and is based solely on the properties of the forward characteristic function of the underlying process. The method is based on sharp large deviations techniques, and allows us to recover (in particular) many results for the spot implied volatility smile. In passing we (i) show that the forward-start date ha…
We consider a generic market model with a single stock and with random volatility. We assume that there is a number of tradable options for that stock with different strike prices. The paper states the problem of finding a pricing rule that gives Black-Scholes price for at-money options and such that the market is arbitrage free for any number of tradable options, even if there are two Brownian motions only: one drives the stock price, the other drives the volatility process. This problem is reduced to solving a parabolic equation.
In industrial applications it is quite common to use stochastic volatility models driven by semi-martingale Markov volatility processes. However, in order to fit exactly market volatilities, these models are usually extended by adding a local volatility term. Here, we consider the case of singular Volterra processes, and we extend them by adding a local-volatility term to their Markov lift by preserving the stylized results implied by these models on plain-vanilla options. In particular, we focus on the rough-Heston model, and we analyze the small time asymptotics of its implied local-volatili…
Our derivation of the distribution function for future returns is based on the risk neutral approach which gives a functional dependence for the European call (put) option price, C(K), given the strike price, K, and the distribution function of the returns. We derive this distribution function using for C(K) a Black-Scholes (BS) expression with volatility in the form of a volatility smile. We show that this approach based on a volatility smile leads to relative minima for the distribution function ("bad" probabilities) never observed in real data and, in the worst cases, negative probabilities…
We propose a multi-scale stochastic volatility model in which a fast mean-reverting factor of volatility is built on top of the Heston stochastic volatility model. A singular pertubative expansion is then used to obtain an approximation for European option prices. The resulting pricing formulas are semi-analytic, in the sense that they can be expressed as integrals. Difficulties associated with the numerical evaluation of these integrals are discussed, and techniques for avoiding these difficulties are provided. Overall, it is shown that computational complexity for our model is comparable to …
Real life hedging in the Black-Scholes model must be imperfect and if the stock's drift is higher than the risk free rate, leads to a profit on average. Hence the option price is examined as a fair game agreement between the parties, based on expected payoffs and a simple measure of risk. The resulting prices result in the volatility smile.
In the Black-Scholes context we consider the probability distribution function (PDF) of financial returns implied by volatility smile and we study the relation between the decay of its tails and the fitting parameters of the smile. We show that, considering a scaling law derived from data, it is possible to get a new fitting procedure of the volatility smile that considers also the exponential decay of the real PDF of returns observed in the financial markets. Our study finds application in the Risk Management activities where the tails characterization of financial returns PDF has a central r…
We discuss the pricing and hedging of volatility options in some rough volatility models. First, we develop efficient Monte Carlo methods and asymptotic approximations for computing option prices and hedge ratios in models where log-volatility follows a Gaussian Volterra process. While providing a good fit for European options, these models are unable to reproduce the VIX option smile observed in the market, and are thus not suitable for VIX products. To accommodate these, we introduce the class of modulated Volterra processes, and show that they successfully capture the VIX smile.
In this short note, we prove by an appropriate change of variables that the SVI implied volatility parameterization presented in Gatheral's book and the large-time asymptotic of the Heston implied volatility agree algebraically, thus confirming a conjecture from Gatheral as well as providing a simpler expression for the asymptotic implied volatility in the Heston model. We show how this result can help in interpreting SVI parameters.
We propose a randomised version of the Heston model-a widely used stochastic volatility model in mathematical finance-assuming that the starting point of the variance process is a random variable. In such a system, we study the small-and large-time behaviours of the implied volatility, and show that the proposed randomisation generates a short-maturity smile much steeper (`with explosion') than in the standard Heston model, thereby palliating the deficiency of classical stochastic volatility models in short time. We precisely quantify the speed of explosion of the smile for short maturities in…
The Heston stochastic volatility model is a standard model for valuing financial derivatives, since it can be calibrated using semi-analytical formulas and captures the most basic structure of the market for financial derivatives with simple structure in time-direction. However, extending the model to the case of time-dependent parameters, which would allow for a parametrization of the market at multiple timepoints, proves more challenging. We present a simple and numerically efficient approach to the calibration of the Heston stochastic volatility model with piecewise constant parameters. We …
A parsimonious generalization of the Heston model is proposed where the volatility-of-volatility is assumed to be stochastic. We follow the perturbation technique of Fouque et al (2011, CUP) to derive a first order approximation of the price of options on a stock and its volatility index. This approximation is given by Heston's quasi-closed formula and some of its Greeks. It can be very efficiently calculated since it requires to compute only Fourier integrals and the solution of simple ODE systems. We exemplify the calibration of the model with S&P 500 and VIX data.
We consider Heston's (1993) stochastic volatility model for valuation of European options to which (semi) closed form solutions are available and are given in terms of characteristic functions. We prove that the class of scale-parameter distributions with mean being the forward spot price satisfies Heston's solution. Thus, we show that any member of this class could be used for the direct risk-neutral valuation of the option price under Heston's SV model. In fact, we also show that any RND with mean being the forward spot price that satisfies Hestons' option valuation solution, must be a membe…
We introduce a new class of local volatility models. Within this framework, we obtain expressions for both (i) the price of any European option and (ii) the induced implied volatility smile. As an illustration of our framework, we perform specific pricing and implied volatility computations for a CEV-like example. Numerical examples are provided.
Rough volatility models are known to reproduce the behavior of historical volatility data while at the same time fitting the volatility surface remarkably well, with very few parameters. However, managing the risks of derivatives under rough volatility can be intricate since the dynamics involve fractional Brownian motion. We show in this paper that surprisingly enough, explicit hedging strategies can be obtained in the case of rough Heston models. The replicating portfolios contain the underlying asset and the forward variance curve, and lead to perfect hedging (at least theoretically). From …
We study a Markov-Functional (MF) interest-rate model with Uncertain Volatility Displaced Diffusion (UVDD) digital mapping, which is consistent with the volatility-smile phenomenon observed in the option market. We first check the impact of pricing Bermudan swaptions by the model. Next, we also investigate the future smiles implied by the MF models and the smile dynamics implied by the UVDD model. Finally, we conduct hedging simulations against Bermudan swaptions to test extensively the hedge performance of this smile-consistenet MF model.
We present an explicit hedging strategy, which enables to prove arbitrageness of market incorporating at least two assets depending on the same random factor. The implied Black-Scholes volatility, computed taking into account the form of the graph of the option price, related to our strategy, demonstrates the "skewness" inherent to the observational data.
In this paper we investigate general linear stochastic volatility models with correlated Brownian noises. In such models the asset price satisfies a linear SDE with coefficient of linearity being the volatility process. This class contains among others Black-Scholes model, a log-normal stochastic volatility model and Heston stochastic volatility model. For a linear stochastic volatility model we derive representations for the probability density function of the arbitrage price of a financial asset and the prices of European call and put options. A closed-form formulae for the density function …
In this work, we aim to gain a better understanding of the volatility smile observed in options markets through microsimulation (MS). We adopt two types of active traders in our MS model: speculators and arbitrageurs, and call and put options on one underlying asset. Speculators make decisions based on their expectations of the asset price at the option expiration time. Arbitrageurs trade at different arbitrage opportunities such as violation of put-call parity. Difference in liquidity among options is also included. Notwithstanding its simplicity, our model can generate implied volatility (IV…
This paper presents a methodology to introduce time-dependent parameters for a wide family of models preserving their analytic tractability. This family includes hybrid models with stochastic volatility, stochastic interest-rates, jumps and their non-hybrid counterparts. The methodology is applied to Heston's model. A bootstrapping algorithm is presented for calibration. A case study works out the calibration of the time-dependent parameters to the volatility surface of the Eurostoxx 50 index. The methodology is also applied to the analytic valuation of forward start vanilla options driven by …
We develop a dynamic version of the SSVI parameterisation for the total implied variance, ensuring that European vanilla option prices are martingales, hence preventing the occurrence of arbitrage, both static and dynamic. Insisting on the constraint that the total implied variance needs to be null at the maturity of the option, we show that no model--in our setting--allows for such behaviour. This naturally gives rise to the concept of implied volatility bubbles, whereby trading in an arbitrage-free way is only possible during part of the life of the contract, but not all the way until expiry…
Classical (Itô diffusions) stochastic volatility models are not able to capture the steepness of small-maturity implied volatility smiles. Jumps, in particular exponential Lévy and affine models, which exhibit small-maturity exploding smiles, have historically been proposed to remedy this (see \cite{Tank} for an overview), and more recently rough volatility models \cite{AlosLeon, Fukasawa}. We suggest here a different route, randomising the Black-Scholes variance by a CEV-generated distribution, which allows us to modulate the rate of explosion (through the CEV exponent) of the implied volatil…
In the classical model of stock prices which is assumed to be Geometric Brownian motion, the drift and the volatility of the prices are held constant. However, in reality, the volatility does vary. In quantitative finance, the Heston model has been successfully used where the volatility is expressed as a stochastic differential equation. In addition, we consider a regime switching model where the stock volatility dynamics depends on an underlying process which is possibly a non-Markov pure jump process. Under this model assumption, we find the locally risk minimizing pricing of European type v…
Stochastic volatility models have existed in Option pricing theory ever since the crash of 1987 which violated the Black-Scholes model assumption of constant volatility. Heston model is one such stochastic volatility model that is widely used for volatility estimation and option pricing. In this paper, we design a novel method to estimate parameters of Heston model under state-space representation using Bayesian filtering theory and Posterior Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (PCRLB), integrating it with Normal Maximum Likelihood Estimation (NMLE) proposed in [1]. Several Bayesian filters like Extended K…
The paper studies estimation of parameters of diffusion market models from historical data. The standard definition of implied volatility for these models presents its value as an implicit function of several parameters, including the risk-free interest rate. In reality, the risk free interest rate is unknown and need to be forecasted, because the option price depends on its future curve. Therefore, the standard implied volatility is {\it conditional}: it depends on the future values of the risk free rate. We study two implied parameters: the implied volatility and the implied average cumulati…
We consider a stochastic volatility model where the moment generating function of the logarithmic price is finite only on part of the real line. Using a new Tauberian result obtained in [1] and [2], we show that the knowledge of the moment generating function near its critical moment gives a sharp asymptotic expansion (with an error of order o(1)) of the local volatility and implied volatility for small and large strikes. We apply our theoretical estimates to Gatheral's SVI parametrization of the implied volatility and Heston's model.
A motivating question in this paper is whether a sensible investment strategy may systematically contain long positions in out-of-the-money European calls with short expiry. Here we consider a very simple trading strategy for calls. The main points of this note are the following. First, the presented trading strategy appears very lucrative in the Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) framework. In fact, it is such even to the extent that the BSM model turns out to be, in a sense, incompatible with the CAPM. Second, if one wishes to adapt these models together, then the adjustment of the consistent pricin…
In the current literature, the analytical tractability of discrete time option pricing models is guaranteed only for rather specific types of models and pricing kernels. We propose a very general and fully analytical option pricing framework, encompassing a wide class of discrete time models featuring multiple-component structure in both volatility and leverage, and a flexible pricing kernel with multiple risk premia. Although the proposed framework is general enough to include either GARCH-type volatility, Realized Volatility or a combination of the two, in this paper we focus on realized vol…
We characterize the behaviour of the Rough Heston model introduced by Jaisson\&Rosenbaum \cite{JR16} in the small-time, large-time and $α\to 1/2$ (i.e. $H\to 0$) limits. We show that the short-maturity smile scales in qualitatively the same way as a general rough stochastic volatility model (cf.\ \cite{FZ17}, \cite{FGP18a} et al.), and the rate function is equal to the Fenchel-Legendre transform of a simple transformation of the solution to the same Volterra integral equation (VIE) that appears in \cite{ER19}, but with the drift and mean reversion terms removed. The solution to this VIE satisf…
When dealing with Heston's stochastic volatility model, the change of measure from the subjective measure P to the objective measure Q is usually investigated under the assumption that the Feller condition is satisfied. This paper closes this gap in the literature by deriving sufficient conditions for the existence of an equivalent (local) martingale measure in the Heston model when the Feller condition is violated. We also supplement the existing literature by the case of a finite lifetime of the Laplace transform of the integrated volatility process. Moreover, we deduce conditions for the st…
We introduce a multivariate diffusion model that is able to price derivative securities featuring multiple underlying assets. Each asset volatility smile is modeled according to a density-mixture dynamical model while the same property holds for the multivariate process of all assets, whose density is a mixture of multivariate basic densities. This allows to reconcile single name and index/basket volatility smiles in a consistent framework. Our approach could be dubbed a multidimensional local volatility approach with vector-state dependent diffusion matrix. The model is quite tractable, leadi…
Following Boukai (2021) we present the Generalized Gamma (GG) distribution as a possible RND for modeling European options prices under Heston's (1993) stochastic volatility (SV) model. This distribution is seen as especially useful in situations in which the spot's price follows a negatively skewed distribution and hence, Black-Scholes based (i.e. the log-normal distribution) modeling is largely inapt. We apply the GG distribution as RND to modeling current market option data on three large market-index ETFs, namely the SPY, IWM and QQQ as well as on the TLT (an ETF that tracks an index of lo…
We give an explicit formula for the probability distribution based on a relativistic extension of Brownian motion. The distribution 1) is properly normalized and 2) obeys the tower law (semigroup property), so we can construct martingales and self-financing hedging strategies and price claims (options). This model is a 1-constant-parameter extension of the Black-Scholes-Merton model. The new parameter is the analog of the speed of light in Special Relativity. However, in the financial context there is no "speed limit" and the new parameter has the meaning of a characteristic diffusion speed at…
Exponential Lévy processes can be used to model the evolution of various financial variables such as FX rates, stock prices, etc. Considerable efforts have been devoted to pricing derivatives written on underliers governed by such processes, and the corresponding implied volatility surfaces have been analyzed in some detail. In the non-asymptotic regimes, option prices are described by the Lewis-Lipton formula which allows one to represent them as Fourier integrals; the prices can be trivially expressed in terms of their implied volatility. Recently, attempts at calculating the asymptotic limi…
Applications of the quantum algorithm for Monte Carlo simulation to pricing of financial derivatives have been discussed in previous papers. However, up to now, the pricing model discussed in such papers is Black-Scholes model, which is important but simple. Therefore, it is motivating to consider how to implement more complex models used in practice in financial institutions. In this paper, we then consider the local volatility (LV) model, in which the volatility of the underlying asset price depends on the price and time. We present two types of implementation. One is the register-per-RN way…
Vanna-Volga is a popular method for the interpolation/extrapolation of volatility smiles. The technique is widely used in the FX markets context, due to its ability to consistently construct the entire Lognormal smile using only three Lognormal market quotes. However, the derivation of the Vanna-Volga method itself is free of distributional assumptions. With this is mind, it is surprising there have been no attempts to apply the method to Normal volatilities (the current standard for interest rate markets). We show how the method can be modified to build Normal volatility smiles. As it turns o…
Valuing Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) has attracted significant attention from both the academic field and real world financial markets. As remarked by Yang and Dai, the Black and Scholes framework seems to be inappropriate for such a long maturity products. Also Chen Vetzal and Forsyth in showed that the price of these products is very sensitive to interest rate and volatility parameters. We propose here to use a stochastic volatility model (Heston model) and a Black Scholes model with stochastic interest rate (Hull White model). For this purpose we present four numerical metho…
We consider a class of assets whose risk-neutral pricing dynamics are described by an exponential Lévy-type process subject to default. The class of processes we consider features locally-dependent drift, diffusion and default-intensity as well as a locally-dependent Lévy measure. Using techniques from regular perturbation theory and Fourier analysis, we derive a series expansion for the price of a European-style option. We also provide precise conditions under which this series expansion converges to the exact price. Additionally, for a certain subclass of assets in our modeling framework, we…
