International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Finance

We introduce here the idea of a long-term swap rate, characterized as the fair rate of an overnight indexed swap (OIS) with infinitely many exchanges. Furthermore, we analyze the relationship between the long-term swap rate, the long-term yield, (F. Biagini, A. Gnoatto & M. Härtel (2018) Affine HJM Framework on $S_d^{+}$ and long-term yield, Applied Mathematics and Optimization 77 (3), 405–441, F. Biagini & M. Härtel (2014) Behavior of long-term yields in a lévy term structure, International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Finance 17 (3), 1–24, N. El Karoui, A. Frachot & H. Geman (1997) A note on the behavior of long zero coupon rates in a no arbitrage framework. Working Paper. Available at Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5066730), and the long-term simple rate (D. C. Brody & L. P. Hughston (2016) Social discounting and the long rate of interest, Mathematical Finance 28 (1), 306–334) as long-term discounting rate. Finally, we investigate the existence of these long-term rates in two-term structure methodologies, the Flesaker–Hughston model and the linear-rational model. A numerical example illustrates how our results can be used to estimate the nonoptional component of a CoCo bond.

In this work, we present an analytical model, based on the path-integral formalism of statistical mechanics, for pricing options using first-passage time problems involving both fixed and deterministically moving absorbing barriers under possibly non-Gaussian distributions of the underlying object. We adapt to our problem a model originally proposed by De Simone et al. (2011) to describe the formation of galaxies in the universe, which uses cumulant expansions in terms of the Gaussian distribution, and we generalize it to take into account drift and cumulants of orders higher than three. From the probability density function, we obtain an analytical pricing model, not only for vanilla options (thus removing the need of volatility smile inherent to the Black & Scholes (1973) model), but also for fixed or deterministically moving barrier options. Market prices of vanilla options are used to calibrate the model, and barrier option pricing arising from the model is compared to the price resulted from the relative entropy model.

We introduce the definition of set-valued capital allocation rule, in the context of set-valued risk measures. In analogy to some well known methods for the scalar case based on the idea of marginal contribution and hence on the notion of gradient and sub-gradient of a risk measure, and under some reasonable assumptions, we define some set-valued capital allocation rules relying on the representation theorems for coherent and convex set-valued risk measures and investigate their link with the notion of sub-differential for set-valued functions. We also introduce and study the set-valued analogous of some properties of classical capital allocation rules, such as the one of no undercut. Furthermore, we compare these rules with some of those mostly used for univariate (single-valued) risk measures. Examples and comparisons with the scalar case are provided at the end.

A strict local martingale is a local martingale that is not a martingale. We investigate how such a process might arise from a true martingale as a result of an enlargement of the filtration and a change of measure. We study and implement a particular type of enlargement, initial expansion of filtration, for stochastic volatility models with and without jumps and provide sufficient conditions in each of these cases such that initial expansion can create a strict local martingale. We provide examples of initial enlargement that effect this change.

The use of sequential Monte Carlo within simulation for path-dependent option pricing is proposed and evaluated. Recently, it was shown that explicit solutions and importance sampling are valuable for efficient simulation of spot price and volatility, especially for purposes of path-dependent option pricing. The resulting simulation algorithm is an analog to the weighted particle filtering algorithm that might be improved by resampling or branching. Indeed, some branching algorithms are shown herein to improve pricing performance substantially while some resampling algorithms are shown to be less suitable in certain cases. A historical property is given and explained as the distinguishing feature between the sequential Monte Carlo algorithms that work on path-dependent option pricing and those that do not. In particular, it is recommended to use the so-called effective particle branching algorithm within importance-sampling Monte Carlo methods for path-dependent option pricing. All recommendations are based upon numeric comparison of option pricing problems in the Heston model.

We study a dynamic mean-variance portfolio selection problem subject to possible limit of market risk. Three measures of market risk are considered: value-at-risk, expected shortfall, and median shortfall. They are all calculated in a dynamic consistent sense. After applying the technique of delta-normal approximation, we can explicitly solve for the optimal solution and calculate the economic loss brought by the risk budget constraint. With the analytical results obtained, influential factors of economic loss are then explored by which some guidelines on trading practice are proposed. The guidelines are independent of risk measures, and are valuable to both institutions and regulators, for they suggest that an institutional investor would spontaneously obey good investment discipline to avoid potential impact of risk constraint. This result meets the purpose of external regulation from the perspective of market discipline.

xVA is a collection of valuation adjustments made to the classical risk-neutral valuation of a derivative or derivatives portfolio for pricing or for accounting purposes, and it has been a matter of debate and controversy. This paper is intended to clarify the notion of xVA as well as the usage of the xVA items in pricing, accounting or risk management. Based on bilateral replication pricing using shares and credit default swaps, we attribute the P&L of a derivatives trade into the compensation for counterparty default risks and the costs of funding. The expected present values of the compensation and the funding costs under the risk-neutral measure are defined to be the bilateral CVA and FVA, respectively. The latter further breaks down into FCA, MVA, ColVA and KVA. We show that the market funding liquidity risk, but not any idiosyncratic funding risks, can be bilaterally priced into a derivative trade, without causing price asymmetry between the counterparties. We call for the adoption of VaR or CVaR methodologies for managing funding risks. The pricing of xVA of an interest-rate swap is presented.