When jumps break the hedging argument for calls
Question
Describe pure-jump and jump-diffusion models for a stock price. Under each, can a call still be priced by a no-arbitrage replication argument using only the stock and a riskless bond? Explain when it works and when it fails.
Short answer
Only in special cases. If the stock follows a pure jump process with a known jump size (e.g. Cox-Ross), each instant has two possible outcomes, so the stock and bond still span the risk and a call can be replicated. In a jump-diffusion (Merton) there are two risks, the Brownian part and jumps of random size, but only one risky hedge instrument, so the market is incomplete: replication fails unless you add more traded options or assume (as Merton did) that jump risk is diversifiable and unpriced.
Adapted from Crack, Heard on the Street, Q2.16, p.26; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.
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Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Market Model and Risk-Neutral Valuation
- Option Mechanics: Calls, Puts, Moneyness, Intrinsic Value, and Exchange vs. OTC Markets
- Option Trading Strategies: Spreads, Combinations, and Payoff Engineering
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