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Properties of Financial Options
Properties of Financial Options
Both can be held long (you own the option) or short (you sold it).
Call option
Put option
Symbol Meaning
c (C ) Value of European (American) call option
p (P) Value of European (American) put option
S0 (ST ) Value of underlying asset at time 0 (T)
K The pre-specified strike price
T The pre-specified time-to-maturity
σ The volatility of the underlying asset return
D Present value (PV) of dividends paid during the life of option
r The T -period risk-free rate of return for maturity T (continuously compounded)
Profit/loss: The payoff adjusted for the initial cost of the option.
k The initial cost of an option is also termed option price or premium.
k Be careful: The premium is quoted in time zero terms!
Payoff#
K# ST#
!c#
PayoffT = max(ST − K, 0)
The buyer may exercise the call and make an overall loss once the call
premium is taken into account!
k Example: K = 100, ST = 102, c = 5.
Payoff#
c"
K#
ST#
Payoff#
K# ST#
!p#
PayoffT = max(K − ST , 0)
The buyer may exercise the put and make an overall loss once the put
premium is taken into account!
k Example: K = 100, ST = 98, p = 5.
Payoff#
p"
ST#
K#
Long call.
k Bullish expectations.
k In a bear market the potential losses are limited.
k BUT in a bull market the call buyer gains less than a holder of the
underlying asset (cost for protection in a bear market).
Short call.
k Bearish expectations.
k Receives the premium.
k Hedging a long position in the underlying asset (covered call writing).
Long put.
k Bearish expectations.
k In a bull market the potential losses are limited.
k BUT in a bear market the put buyer gains less than a seller of the
underlying asset (cost for protection in a bull market).
k Hedging a long position in the underlying asset (protective).
Short put.
k Bullish expectations.
k Receives the premium.
St < K St = K St > K
Call: OTM ATM ITM
Put: ITM ATM OTM
2 The added value the option will have by postponing its exercise →
time value.
Time value: Value of the option associated with the possibility that
the option could move further ITM as time passes.
k The value of an OTM option derives solely from its time value (i.e. the
chance that things will improve over time).
k The time value is non-negative and is highest for ATM options.
Payoff#
Call(price(today( Intrinsic(value(
max(St2K,0)(
K# St#
Time(value(=(Call(price(–(Intrinsic(value(
The terms of option contracts are adjusted for some corporate events,
but not for others.
Example.
k You own a call option on IBM stock (S0 =$120) with K=$100.
k IBM suddenly decides to pay a dividend over $50 per share.
k In the absence of taxes, IBM’s share price drops to $70 (=120-50).
k Your formerly ITM call option is suddenly OTM.
Example.
k IBM replaces one stock with two (a 2-for-1 split).
k The share price drops to $60 (=120/2).
k The strike price is also reduced to half its former value, namely to $50
(=100/2).
k Each option is exchanged for two new ones (2N).
How does the options price change when we change one of the above
variables, with all other variables being constant?
Call option.
k PayoffT = max (ST − K , 0)
k Becomes more valuable as S0 increases.
Put option.
k PayoffT = max (K − ST , 0)
k Becomes less valuable as S0 increases.
Example.
k Consider a T1 -maturity European call & a T2 -maturity European call.
k A large dividend will be paid at time t with T1 < t < T2 .
k The stock price will fall at time t due to the dividend payment.
k As a results the short-maturity option may be worth more than the
long-maturity call.
(Dr Eirini Konstantinidi, AMBS) Financial Derivatives 35 / 66
Factor 4: Volatility
As volatility increases the chance that the asset will do very well or
very poorly increases.
k For the owner of the asset these two tend to offset each other.
k For the owner of an option, the effect is asymmetric.
European American
Factors Call Put Call Put
Current stock price (S0 ) + - + -
Strike price (K ) - + - +
Time to maturity (T )* ? ? + +
Volatility (σ) + + + +
Risk-free rate (r ) + - + -
Amount of future dividends (D) - + - +
Calls (European and American) give the right to their holder to buy a
share at a certain price.
Arbitrage strategy: Buy the stock and sell the call option.
k You assume that the upper bound is violated, i.e. c > S0
Short call
Time Long stock ST < K ST > K Total
0 −S0 c c (c − S0 ) > 0
T ST 0 −(ST − K ) ST > 0 or K > 0
No matter whether the call is exercised against you or not, you always
make a profit both initially and at maturity.
American puts give the right to their holder to sell a share at a price
K.
k No matter what it cannot be worth more than K !
European puts give the right to their holder to sell a share at a price
K at maturity.
k No matter what it cannot be worth more than K at T or Ke −rT today!
Arbitrage strategy: Sell the put option & invest the proceeds at the
risk-free rate.
−rT
k You assume that the upper bound is violated, i.e. p > Ke
Short put
Time Bank account ST < K ST > K Total
0 −p p p 0
T pe rT −(K − ST ) 0 rT
pe + ST − K > 0
or pe rT > 0
No matter whether the put is exercised against you or not, you always
make a profit at maturity.
Portfolio A Portfolio B
Time ST > K ST < K
T ST K ST
( = ( ST − K ) + K )
Portfolio C Portfolio D
Time ST > K ST < K
T ST K K
(= (K − ST ) + ST )
Assumptions.
1 There are no transaction costs.
2 All trading profits are subject to the same tax rate.
3 Borrowing and lending are possible at the risk-free rate.
4 There are no arbitrage opportunities!
Portfolio A Portfolio B
Time ST > K ST < K ST > K ST < K
T ST K ST K
(= (ST − K ) + K ) (= (K − ST ) + ST )
Hence: C ≥ c.
The American call is always worth more than its intrinsic value (i.e.
the payment from immediate exercise).
k So sell the American call instead of exercising it.
(Dr Eirini Konstantinidi, AMBS) Financial Derivatives 54 / 66
Bounds for American or European calls: No dividends
Call#price#
Ke-rT# S0#
There are far more strategies out there (box, butterfly, calendar, etc.
spreads), but their payoffs can be established like above.
(Dr Eirini Konstantinidi, AMBS) Financial Derivatives 58 / 66
Bull spread
ST ≤ K1 K1 < ST < K2 ST ≥ K2
Long call (K1 ) 0 ST − K1 ST − K1
Short call (K2 ) 0 0 −(ST − K2 )
Total 0 ST − K1 K2 − K 1
Payoff# Profit#
ST# ST#
K1# K2# K1# K2#
ST ≤ K1 K1 < ST < K2 ST ≥ K2
Short put (K1 ) −(K1 − ST ) 0 0
Long put (K2 ) K2 − ST K2 − ST 0
Total K2 − K1 K2 − ST 0
Payoff# Profit#
ST# ST#
K1# K2# K1# K2#
Straddle strategy.
k Buy a European call with a strike price K .
k Buy a European put with a strike price K .
k Both options have the same expiration date and the same strike price.
ST ≤ K ST > K
Long call 0 ST − K
Long put K − ST 0
Total K − ST ST − K
Payoff# Profit#
ST# ST#
K# K#