VIX Derivatives Valuation and Estimation Based on Closed-Form Series Expansions

A new valuation and calibration method for VIX futures and VIX options is proposed. The method is based on a closed-form Hermite series expansion for a stochastic volatility model with the stochastic variance process driven by an affine drift term. We implement the methodology for the Heston and the mean-reverting CEV stochastic volatility models. A calibration exercise to real market data shows that the method is efficient, accurate, and suitable for practical implementation