The lognormal distribution assumption for the term structure of interest is the most natural way to exclude negative spot and forward rates. However, imposing this assumption on the continuously compounded interest rate has a serious drawback: rates explode and expected rollover returns are...

The effect of model and parameter misspecification on the effectiveness of Gaussian hedging strategies for derivative financial instruments is analyzed, showing that Gaussian hedges in the `natural'' hedging instruments are particularly robust. This is true for all models that imply...

This paper examines the pricing of options by approximating extensions of the Black-Scholes setup in which volatility follows a separate diffusion process. It gereralizes the well-known binomial model, constructing a discrete two-dimensional lattice. We discuss convergence issues extensively and...

In this paper we consider the range of prices consistent with no arbitrage for European options in a general stochastic volatility model. We give conditions under which infimum respectively the supremum of the possible option prices are equal to the intrinsic value of the option or to the...

The present paper analyses a broad range of one- and multifactor models of the term structure of interest rates. We assess the influence of the number of factors, mean reversion, and the factor probability distributions on the term structure shapes the models generate, and use spread options as...

Suppose that (X(n)) is a finite adapted sequence of d-dimensional random variables defined on some filtered probability space ( Omega, F, ( Fn),P ) . We obtain conditions which are necessary and sufficient for the existence of a probability measure Q equivalent to P ( which we call an equivalent...

Let M(X) be a family of all equivalent local martingale measures for some locally bounded d-dimensional process X, and V be a positive process. Main result of the paper (Theorem 2.1) states that the process V is a supermartingale whatever Q in M(X), if and only if this process admits the...

Assuming constant interest rates Brennan and Schwartz (1976, 1979) obtained the rational insurance premium on an equity-linked insurance contract through the application of the theory of contingent claims pricing. Further considerations with deterministic interest rates have been discussed in...

Alternative ways of introducing uncertainty to the term structure of interest rates are considered. They correspond to the different expectation hypotheses...

This paper presents the one- and the multifactor versions of a term structure model in which the factor dynamics are given by Cox/Ingersoll/Ross (CIR) type "square root" diffusions with piecewise constant parameters. The model is fitted to initial term structures given by a finite number of data...