During the last decade, markets for covered warrants (bank-issued options) have flourished in Europe and Asia. In these markets, investors often face a choice between many instruments that differ only slightly from each other. Based on retail trades in call options on the German DAX index, this...

We develop statistical methods to detect informed trading in options markets. We apply these methods to 31 companies from various sectors over 14 years analyzing approximately 9.6 million option prices. We find that option informed trading tends to cluster prior to certain events, takes place...

This appendix extends the empirical results in Chesney, Crameri, and Mancini (2011). Informed trading activities on put and call options are analyzed for 19 companies in the banking and insurance sectors from January 1996 to September 2009. Our empirical findings suggest that certain events such...

Over-allotment arrangements are nowadays part of almost any initial public offering. The underwriting banks borrow stocks from the previous shareholders to issue more than the initially announced number of shares. This is combined with the option to cover this short position at the issue price....

In this paper, I study risk-neutral probability densities regarding future Libor rates denominated in British pounds, euros, and US dollars as implied by option prices. I apply Breeden and Litzenberger's (1978) result regarding the relationship between option prices and implied probabilities for...

A callable leveraged constant maturity swap (CMS) spread note allows the holder to benefit from future changes in the spread between two swap interest rates. The issues retains the right to call the note at pre-specified times in the future. The note is priced via Monte Carlo simulation using...

In this paper we study the development of interest rate risk premium and option implied state price densities in the Euribor futures option market. Using parametric and non-parametric statistical calibration, we transform the risk-neutral option implied densities for the Euribor futures rate...

This paper examines how the investors' expectations of the stock market evolve over the ten-year period between 1999 to 2008. In the past decade, the U.S. stock market experienced two major crises, with a relatively steady growth period in between. Using options implied risk neutral...

We study minute-by-minute behavior of the VIX index and trading activity in the underlying S&P 500 options to understand the impact of macro and microeconomic forces on risk neutral volatility. VIX often increases with macroeconomic news, reflects the credibility of Fed monetary stimulus, and...