Option prices embed predictive content for the outcomes of pending mergers and acquisitions. This is particularly important in merger arbitrage, where deal failure is a key risk. In this paper, I propose a dynamic asset pricing model that exploits the joint information in target stock and option...

We examine the pricing of volatility risk in the cross-section of equity Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) stock returns over the 1996 – 2010 period. We consider both aggregate (systematic) volatility and firm-specific (idiosyncratic) volatility. In contrast to the negative and significant...

We show that log-dividends (d) and log-prices (p) are cointegrated, but, instead of de facto assuming the stationarity of the classical log dividend–price ratio, we allow the data to reveal the cointegration vector between d and p. We define the modified dividend–price ratio (mdp), as the...

Stocks with high idiosyncratic volatility perform poorly relative to low idiosyncratic volatility stocks. We offer a novel explanation of this anomaly based on real options, which is consistent with earlier findings on idiosyncratic volatility (the positive contemporaneous relation between...

We overview exchange-traded funds and notes mechanism and market. We consider different classes of ETFs: long, short, unleveraged, leveraged. We show tables and graphs of leveraged and short ETF behaviors for up and down moves for educational purposes. We describe historical behavior of several...

I present a method for deriving the entire physical return distributions of individual stocks directly from option prices. The method is theoretically nested in an equilibrium model, obeys the law-of one-price, and can be implemented in real-time in a forward-looking manner. The method performs...

We explore the term structures of claims to a variety of cash flows: U.S. government bonds (claims to dollars), foreign government bonds (claims to foreign currency), inflation-adjusted bonds (claims to the price index), and equity (claims to future equity indexes or dividends). Average term...

We develop statistics to represent the option implied stochastic discount factor for S&P 500 returns between 1990 and 2008. Our statistics, which we call State Prices of Conditional Quantiles (SPOCQ), estimate the market's willingness to pay for insurance against outcomes in various quantiles of...

We explore the term structures of claims to a variety of cash flows: U.S. government bonds (claims to dollars), foreign government bonds (claims to foreign currency), inflation-adjusted bonds (claims to the price index), and equity (claims to future equity indexes or dividends). Average term...

In recent years there has been a tremendous growth in the influx of news related to traded assets in international financial markets. This financial news is now available via print media but also through real-time online sources such as internet news and social media sources. The increase in the...