Pricing long-dated insurance contracts with stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility

We consider the pricing of long-dated insurance contracts under stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility. In particular, we focus on the valuation of insurance options with long-term equity or foreign exchange exposures. Our modeling framework extends the stochastic volatility model of Schöbel and Zhu (1999) by including stochastic interest rates. Moreover, we allow all driving model factors to be instantaneously correlated with each other, i.e. we allow for a general correlation structure between the instantaneous interest rates, the volatilities and the underlying stock returns. As insurance products often incorporate long-term exposures, they are typically more sensitive to changes in the interest rates, volatility and currencies. Therefore, having the flexibility to correlate the underlying asset price with both the stochastic volatility and the stochastic interest rates, yields a realistic model which is of practical importance for the pricing and hedging of such long-term contracts. We show that European options, typically used for the calibration of the model to market prices, and forward starting options can be priced efficiently and in closed-form by means of Fourier inversion techniques. We extensively discuss the numerical implementation of these pricing formulas, allowing for a fast and accurate valuation of European and forward starting options. The model will be especially useful for the pricing and risk management of insurance contracts and other exotic derivatives involving long-term maturities.     

Pricing long-dated insurance contracts with stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility

We consider the pricing of long-dated insurance contracts under stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility. In particular, we focus on the valuation of insurance options with long-term equity or foreign exchange exposures. Our modeling framework extends the stochastic volatility model of Schöbel and Zhu (1999) by including stochastic interest rates. Moreover, we allow all driving model factors to be instantaneously correlated with each other, i.e. we allow for a general correlation structure between the instantaneous interest rates, the volatilities and the underlying stock returns. As insurance products often incorporate long-term exposures, they are typically more sensitive to changes in the interest rates, volatility and currencies. Therefore, having the flexibility to correlate the underlying asset price with both the stochastic volatility and the stochastic interest rates, yields a realistic model which is of practical importance for the pricing and hedging of such long-term contracts. We show that European options, typically used for the calibration of the model to market prices, and forward starting options can be priced efficiently and in closed-form by means of Fourier inversion techniques. We extensively discuss the numerical implementation of these pricing formulas, allowing for a fast and accurate valuation of European and forward starting options. The model will be especially useful for the pricing and risk management of insurance contracts and other exotic derivatives involving long-term maturities.     

随机利率下亚式期权的定价模型

§1Introduction Asianoptionpayoffdependsontheaverageofassetpricesoverthelifeofoptions.Theirpopularityistoavoidthepossiblepricemanipulationatthematuritydatefor ordinaryoptions.ItturnsouttobedifficulttoderiveBlack-Scholes-likeclosed-form formulaforAsianoptionsbecausethedistributionofarithmetic-averageassetpricesdoes nothavestandardexpression.AlotofworkhasbeendoneonpricingAsianoptionssince KemmaandVorst(1990).Manytreatmentsdealwiththecaseofgeometricaverageforthe firststepeitherasanapproximatio…     

Hedging guarantees in variable annuities under both equity and interest rate risks

Effective hedging strategies for variable annuities are crucial for insurance companies in preventing potentially large losses. We consider discrete hedging of options embedded in guarantees with ratchet features, under both equity (including jump) risk and interest rate risk. Since discrete hedging and the underlying model considered lead to an incomplete market, we compute hedging strategies using local risk minimization. Our results suggest that risk minimization hedging, under a joint model for the underlying and interest rate, leads to effective risk reduction. Moreover, hedging with standard options is superior to hedging with the underlying when both equity and interest rate risks are appropriately modeled.     

Pricing and hedging of guaranteed minimum benefits under regime-switching and stochastic mortality

This paper presents a novel framework for pricing and hedging of the Guaranteed Minimum Benefits (GMBs) embedded in variable annuity (VA) contracts whose underlying mutual fund dynamics evolve under the influence of the regime-switching model. Semi-closed form solutions for prices and Greeks (i.e. sensitivities of prices with respect to model parameters) of various GMBs under stochastic mortality are derived. Pricing and hedging is performed using an accurate, fast and efficient Fourier Space Time-stepping (FST) algorithm. The mortality component of the model is calibrated to the Australian male population. Sensitivity analysis is performed with respect to various parameters including guarantee levels, time to maturity, interest rates and volatilities. The hedge effectiveness is assessed by comparing profit-and-loss distributions for an unhedged, statically and semi-statically hedged portfolios. The results provide a comprehensive analysis on pricing and hedging the longevity risk, interest rate risk and equity risk for the GMBs embedded in VAs, and highlight the benefits to insurance providers who offer those products.     

Risk Minimizing Option Pricing for a Class of Exotic Options in a Markov-Modulated Market

We address risk minimizing option pricing in a regime switching market where the floating interest rate depends on a finite state Markov process. The growth rate and the volatility of the stock also depend on the Markov process. Using the minimal martingale measure, we show that the locally risk minimizing prices for certain exotic options satisfy a system of Black-Scholes partial differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions. We find the corresponding hedging strategies and the residual risk. We develop suitable numerical methods to compute option prices.     

Valuation and hedging strategy of currency options under regime-switching jump-diffusion model

The main purpose of this thesis is in analyzing and empirically simulating risk minimizing European foreign exchange option pricing and hedging strategy when the spot foreign exchange rate is governed by a Markov-modulated jump-diffusion model. The domestic and foreign money market interest rates, the drift and the volatility of the exchange rate dynamics all depend on a continuous-time hidden Markov chain which can be interpreted as the states of a macro-economy. In this paper, we will provide a practical lognormal diffusion dynamic of the spot foreign exchange rate for market practitioners. We employing the minimal martingale measure to demonstrate a system of coupled partial-differential-integral equations satisfied by the currency option price and attain the corresponding hedging schemes and the residual risk. Numerical simulations of the double exponential jump diffusion regime-switching model are used to illustrate the different effects of the various parameters on currency option prices.     

Operator trigonometry of multivariate finance

We inquire into an operator-trigonometric analysis of certain multi-asset financial pricing models. Our goal is to provide a new geometric point of view for the understanding and analysis of such financial instruments. Among those instruments which we examine are quantos for currency hedging, spread options for multi-asset pricing, portfolio rebalancing under stochastic interest rates, Black-Scholes volatility models, and risk measures.     

Black-Scholes期权定价的风险(英文)

Black-Scholes期权定价的推导假定对冲是连续的以达到无风险. 但事实上, 股市收市后将不再有交易, 所以投资者不能连续的调整其投资组合, 故期权定价的风险是存在的. 本文讨论了这种不连续对冲带来的期权定价的风险, 并以美国股市的几种指标股为例, 给出其比率. 比率多在5%以上, 有的可以达到38%, 可见传统期权定价的风险不容小觑.     

债券定价及利率风险的市场价格的重构方法

假设利率变化的模型是由随机微分方程给出,则可以用推导Black-Scholes方程的方法来推出债券价格满足的偏微分方程,得到一个抛物型的偏微分方程.但是,在债券定价的方程中隐含有一个参数λ称为利率风险的市场价格.所谓债券定价的反问题,就是由不同到期时间的债券的现在价格来得到利率风险的市场价格.对随机利率模型下债券定价的正问题先给予介绍和差分数值求解方法,并介绍了反问题,且对反问题给出了数值方法.     

Exponential change of measure applied to term structures of interest rates and exchange rates

In this paper, we study the term structures of interest rates and foreign exchange rates through establishing a state-price deflator. The state-price deflator considered here can be viewed as an extension to the potential representation of the state-price density in [Rogers, L.C.G., 1997. The potential approach to the term structure of interest rates and foreign exchange rates. Mathematical Finance 7(2), 157-164]. We identify a risk-neutral probability measure from the state-price deflator by a technique of exponential change of measure for Markov processes proposed by [Palmowski, Z., Rolski, T., 2002. A technique for exponential change of measure for Markov processes. Bernoulli 8(6), 767-785] and present examples of several classes of diffusion processes (jump-diffusions and diffusions with regime-switching) to illustrate the proposed theory. A comparison between the exponential change of measure and the Esscher transform for identifying risk-neutral measures is also presented. Finally, we consider the exchange rate dynamics by virtue of the ratio of the current state-price deflators between two economies and then discuss the pricing of currency options.     

利率风险与或有权益定价

应用无差异方法研究不完全市场中或有权益的保值和定价问题,并证明了或有权益的价格不仅依赖于或有权益的不可复制部分,而且受利率风险的影响．在最优保值意义下利率风险分解为可控风险和不可控风险．利率的可控风险与资本市场波动有关,可通过套期保值方法避免,可能产生正、零或负的期望收益．利率的不可控风险与资本市场波动无关,无法对冲,而且带来正的期望收益．利率风险的分解有助于更准确地解释或有权益的价格-它受利率的不可控风险影响,而与可控风险无关．当利率的不可控收益与或有权益的不可复制部分正(负)相关时,或有权益的不可复制部分的风险越大导致或有权益的价格越高(低)．     

我国外贸企业人民币升值加息双重风险同步管理与独立管理比较研究

我国出口外贸企业将来收到外汇货款又要借款用于生产,企业面临很大人民币汇率利率双重风险,因此迫切需要解决其风险管理问题。可以使用目前市场上交易的人民币外汇远期、外汇期货和利率远期等衍生工具,分别对这两项风险进行独立管理和同步管理。导出策略的回报、风险和效率等统计指标,比较评价这两种风险管理策略的优良性。得到同步管理比独立管理更加优越的结论,企业可以使用同步管理策略更有效地规避所面临的双重风险。     

Convergence and optimality of BS-type discrete hedging strategy under stochastic interest rate

We focus on the asymptotic convergence behavior of the hedging errors of European stock option due to discrete hedging under stochastic interest rates. There are two kinds of BS-type discrete hedging differ in hedging instruments: one is the portfolio of underlying stock, zero coupon bond, and the money market account (Strategy BSI); the other is the underlying stock, zero coupon bond (Strategy BSII). Similar to the results of the deterministic interest rate case, we show that convergence speed of the disco...     

Pricing model of interest rate swap with a bilateral default risk

Under the foundation of Duffie & Huang (1996) [7], this paper integrates the reduced form model and the structure model for a default risk measure, giving rise to a new pricing model of interest rate swap with a bilateral default risk. This model avoids the shortcomings of ignoring the dynamic movements of the firm’s assets of the reduced form model but adds only a little complexity and simplifies the pricing formula significantly when compared with Li (1998) [10]. With the help of the Crank-Nicholson difference method, we give the numerical solutions of the new model to study the default risk effects on the swap rate. We find that for a one year interest rate swap with the coupon paid per quarter, the variance of the default fixed rate payer decreases from 0.1 to 0.01 only causing about a 1.35%’s increase in the swap rate. This is consistent with previous results.     

The pricing of Asian options under stochastic interest rates

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of stochastic interest rates on the pricing of Asian options. It is shown that a stochastic, in contrast to a deterministic, development of the term structure of interest rates has a significant influence. The price of the underlying asset, e.g. a stock or oil, and the prices of bonds are assumed to follow correlated two-dimensional Itô processes. The averages considered in the Asian options are calculated on a discrete time grid, e.g. all closing prices on Wednesdays during the lifetime of the contract. The value of an Asian option will be obtained through the application of Monte Carlo simulation, and for this purpose the stochastic processes for the basic assets need not be severely restricted. However, to make comparison with published results originating from models with deterministic interest rates, we will stay within the setting of a Gaussian framework.     

On a multiple credit rating migration model with stochastic interest rate

In this paper, we explore a pricing model for corporate bond accompanied with multiple credit rating migration risk and stochastic interest rate. The bond price volatility strongly depends on potentially multiple credit rating migration and stochastic change of interest rate. A free boundary problem of partial differential equation is presented, which is the equivalent transformation of the pricing model. The existence, uniqueness, and regularity for the free boundary problem are established to guarantee the rationality of the pricing model. Due to the stochastic change of interest rate, the discontinuous coefficient in the free boundary problem depends explicitly on the time variable but is convergent as time tends to infinity. Accordingly, an auxiliary free boundary problem is constructed, whose coefficient is the convergent limit of the coefficient in the original free boundary problem. With some constraint on the risk discount rate satisfied, we prove that a unique traveling wave exists in the auxiliary free boundary problem. The inductive method is adopted to fit the multiplicity of credit rating. Then we show that the solution of the original free boundary problem converges to the traveling wave in the auxiliary free boundary problem. Returning to the pricing model with multiple credit rating migration and stochastic interest rate, we conclude that the bond price profile can be captured by a traveling wave pattern coupling with a guaranteed bond price with face value equal to one at the maturity.     

The role of the dependence between mortality and interest rates when pricing Guaranteed Annuity Options

In this paper we investigate the consequences on the pricing of insurance contingent claims when we relax the typical independence assumption made in the actuarial literature between mortality risk and interest rate risk. Starting from the Gaussian approach of Liu et al. (2014), we consider some multifactor models for the mortality and interest rates based on more general affine models which remain positive and we derive pricing formulas for insurance contracts like Guaranteed Annuity Options (GAOs). In a Wishart affine model, which allows for a non-trivial dependence between the mortality and the interest rates, we go far beyond the results found in the Gaussian case by Liu et al. (2014), where the value of these insurance contracts can be explained only in terms of the initial pairwise linear correlation.     

Pricing derivatives in a regime switching market with time inhomogenous volatility

This paper studies pricing derivatives in a componentwise semi-Markov (CSM) modulated market. We consider a financial market where the asset price dynamics follows a regime switching geometric Brownian motion model in which the coefficients depend on finitely many age-dependent semi-Markov processes. We further allow the volatility coefficient to depend on time explicitly. Under these market assumptions, we study locally risk minimizing pricing of a class of European options. It is shown that the price function can be obtained by solving a non-local Black–Scholes–Merton-type PDE. We establish existence and uniqueness of a classical solution to the Cauchy problem. We also find another characterization of price function via a system of Volterra integral equation of second kind. This alternative representation leads to computationally efficient methods for finding price and hedging. An explicit expression of quadratic residual risk is also obtained.