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Call bounds in a three-outcome one-step model

Question

Rates are zero and a stock at 100100 can move in one step to 9090, 100100 or 110110. What can you say about the no-arbitrage price of a call struck at 100100?

Short answer

Only that it lies strictly between 00 and 55. The market is incomplete: risk-neutral probabilities must satisfy 110qu+100qm+90qd=100110q_u+100q_m+90q_d=100, which forces qu=qdq_u=q_d, with qu∈(0,12)q_u\in(0,\tfrac12). The call pays 1010 only in the up state, so its price 10qu10q_u can be anything in (0,5)(0,5) without arbitrage.

Adapted from Joshi, Denson & Downes, Quant Job Interview Questions and Answers, Q2.52, p.21; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.

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