Option prices, particularly those of out-of-the-money equity index puts, are difficult to justify in a no-arbitrage framework. This paper shows how limits to arbitrage affect the relative pricing of out-of-the-money put vs. call options (option-implied skewness). Decomposing the price of...

The finance literature has found it challenging to explain empirically observed option returns, most notably in the case of out-of-the-money (OTM) equity index puts. I propose liquidation risk in options markets, defined as the possibility of forced selling of speculative positions following a...