We study a model for default contagion in intensity-based credit risk and its consequences for pricing portfolio credit derivatives. The model is specified through default intensities which are assumed to be constant between defaults, but which can jump at the times of defaults. The model is...

We study default contagion in large homogeneous credit portfolios. Using data from the iTraxx Europe series, two synthetic CDO portfolios are calibrated against their tranche spreads, index CDS spreads and average CDS spreads, all with five year maturity. After the calibrations, which render...

I propose a new measure of credit risk, model implied credit spreads (MICS), which can be extracted from any structural credit risk model in which debt values are a function of asset risk and the payout ratio. I implement MICS assuming a barrier option framework nesting the Merton (1974) model...

It is often argued that Black-Scholes (1973) values overstate the subjectivevalue of stock options granted to risk-averse and under-diversified executives.We construct a “representative” Swiss executive and extend the certainty-equivalence approach presented by Hall and Murphy (2002) to...

This paper proposes a new method for estimating continuous-time stochastic volatility (SV) models for the S&P 500 stock index process using intraday high-frequency observations of both the S&P 500 index and the Chicago Board of Exchange (CBOE) implied (or expected) volatility index (VIX)....

Currency total return swaps (CTRS) are hybrid derivatives instruments that allow to simultaneously hedge against credit and currency risks. We develop a structural credit risk model to evaluate CTRS premia. Empirical test on a sample of 23,005 price observations from 59 underlying issuers yields...

The price disparity between the dual-listed Chinese firms in the A- and H-share markets is one of the most intriguing puzzles in the Mainland and Hong Kong financial markets. In this paper, we revisit this price disparity puzzle using the channel of parameter uncertainty. In the presence of...

We apply a contingent-claims technique and demonstrate how to value an emerging market hydro electric power investment under uncertainty. The investment project depends on reliable weather conditions and the capacity of a river to drive the water turbines. Uganda’s Bujagali dam project located...

This paper proposes a new method for estimating continuous-time stochastic volatility (SV) models for the S&P 500 stock index process using intraday high-frequency observations of both the S&P 500 index and the Chicago Board of Exchange (CBOE) implied (or expected) volatility index (VIX)....

Modern risk management systems were developed in the early 1990s to provide centralized risk measures at the top level of financial institutions. These are based on a century of theoretical developments in risk measures. In particular, value at risk (VAR) has become widely used as a statistical...