In a tractable stochastic volatility model, we identify the price of the smile as the price of the unspanned risks traded in SPX option markets. The price of the smile reflects two persistent volatility and skewness risks, which imply a downward sloping term structure of low-frequency variance...

We study a new class of three-factor affine option pricing models with interdependent volatility dynamics and a stochastic skewness component unrelated to volatility shocks. These properties are useful in order (i) to model a term structure of implied volatility skews more consistent with the...

We propose a new modeling framework for the valuation of European options, in which dynamic short and long run volatility components drive the smile dynamics. The model state dynamics is driven by a matrix jump diffusion, provides efficient pricing formulas for plain vanilla options by means of...

We address potential strengths and weaknesses of alternative protection schemes, which can be adopted as a ‘default option' in a private, third pillar, pension product. In light of the observed behavior of savers adopting the ‘default option' at international level, we perform a comparative...

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First is to extend the notions of an n-dimensional semimartingaleand its stochastic integral to a piecewise semimartingale of stochastic dimension. The propertiesof the former carry over largely intact to the latter, avoiding some of the pitfalls of...

Motivated by the Chinese experience, we analyze a semi-open economy where the centralbank has access to international capital markets, but the private sector has not. Thisenables the central bank to choose an interest rate different from the international rate.We examine the optimal policy of...