Call value plotted against spot, futures and expiry price
Question
Draw three graphs for a European call on a non-dividend stock: (i) its payoff at expiry as a function of the terminal stock price; (ii) its value before expiry as a function of the futures price on the stock; (iii) its value before expiry as a function of the spot price. How are the three curves related?
Short answer
(i) is the hockey stick ; (ii) and (iii) are smooth convex curves. Against spot, the pre-expiry value lies above and hence above intrinsic value, approaching for deep in-the-money calls. Since , graph (ii) is the same curve on a rescaled axis: , which approaches and so dips below the futures intrinsic value when deep in the money.
Adapted from Crack, Heard on the Street, Q2.17, p.26; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.
See the hint and the full worked solution in the question bank (free account).
Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Options, Payoffs and No-Arbitrage Bounds
- Forward and Futures Prices: Cost-of-Carry, Known Income, and Continuous Yields
- Breadth-First and Depth-First Search
Start with a free lesson: Options is part of a free topic. Create a free account, no card needed, to read it in full with worked solutions.
Read it free