This paper provides (i) new results on the structure of optimal portfolios, (ii) economic insights on the behavior of the hedging components and (iii) an analysis of simulation-based numerical methods. The core of our approach relies on closed form solutions for Melliavin derivatives of...

A useful feature of European and American options in the standard financial market model with constant coefficients is the property of put-call symmetry. This property states that the value of a put option with strike price K and maturity date T is the same as the value of a call option with...

This paper proposes a simple modification to the standard Monte Carlo simulation procedure for computing the prices of derivative securities. The modification imposes the martingale property on the simulated sample paths of the underlying asset price. This procedure is referred to as the...

This paper provides a survey of recent numerical methods for pricing derivative securities. Methods for standard American options on a single underlying asset, barrier and lookback options and options on multiple assets are reviewed. Criteria for comparison of different approaches are discussed....

We provide a simple binomial framework to value American-style derivatives subject to trading restrictions. The optimal investment of liquid wealth is solved simultaneously with the early exercise decision of the non-traded derivative. No-short-sales constraints on the underlying asset manifest...

We propose a Markov chain method for pricing discretely monitored barrier options in both the constant and time-varying volatility valuation frameworks. The method uses a time homogeneous Markov Chain to approximate the underlying asset price process. Our approach provides a natural framework...

This paper examines the valuation of European- and American-style volatility options based on a general equilibrium stochastic volatility framework. Properties of the optimal exercise region and of the option price are provided when volatility follows a general diffusion process. Explicit...

We provide a comprehensive treatment of option pricing with particular emphasis on the valuation of American options on dividend-paying essets. We begin by reviewing valuation principles for European contingent claims in a financial market in which the underlying asset price follows an Itô...

We assess the predictive accuracy of a large number of multivariate volatility models in terms of pricing options on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We measure the value of model sophistication in terms of dollar losses by considering a set 248 multivariate models that differ in their...

In recent years multivariate models for asset returns have received much attention, in particular this is the case for models with time varying volatility. In this paper we consider models of this class and examine their potential when it comes to option pricing. Specifically, we derive the risk...