In the present thesis we deal with several possible approaches to financial de- rivatives pricing. In the first part, we introduce the basic types of derivatives and the methods of trading. Furthermore, we present several models for the valuati- on of specific financial derivative, i.e. options. Firstly we describe Black-Scholes model in detail, which considers that the development of the underlying asset price is governed by Wiener process. Following are the jumps diffusion models that are extension of the Black-Scholes model with jumps. Then we get to jump models, which are based on Lévy processes. Finally, we will deal with the model, which considers that the development of the underlying asset price is governed by fractional Brownian motion with Hurst's coefficient greater than 1/2. All models are suplemented with sample examples. 1

Darbe nagrinėjami barjero pasirinkimo sandorių įkainojimo metodai. Barjero pasirinkimo sandorių išmokos sutampa su įprastinių pasirinkimo sandorių išmokomis, jei išpildoma papildoma barjero sąlyga, kurią reikia įvertinti. Įkainojimui naudojami diskretieji modeliai: binominis ir trinominis, tiriama jų konvergavimas į klasikinę Black-Scholes formulę. Dėl modelio diskretumo ir barjero sąlygos konvergavimas tam tikrais atvejais yra lėtas ir nemonotoniškas. Todėl siūloma pritaikyti adaptyviojo tinklelio algoritmą, smulkinant trinominio medžio tinklelį kritinėse srityse. Šiame darbe pateikiami rezultatai, gauti palyginus barjero pasirinkimo sandorio įkainojimo modelius. / In this paper we consider barrier options pricing models. Barrier options are standard call or put options except that they disappear or appear if the asset price crosses a predeterminant set of fixing dates. Barrier options are priced using continuous state Black-Scholes model and numerical approximation techniques, such as binomial and trinomial. Because of the the barrier condition and discreteness of these models the convergence to Black-Scholes model sometimes is slow. It is offered to apply adaptive mesh model grafting small sections of fine high-resolution lattice onto a tree in trinomial model. In this work we present the comparison of the models with some numerical results for barrier options.

Financial derivatives have been constituting one of the most dynamic fields in the mathematical finance. The main task is represented by the valuation or pricing of these instruments. This theses deals with standard models and their limits, tries to explore advanced methods of continuous martingale measures and on their bases proposes numerical methods applicable to derivatives valuation. Some procedures leading to elimination of certain simplifying assumptions are presented as well.

In the present work, we study the topic of stochastic differential equations, their numerical solution and solution of models for pricing of options which follow from stochastic differential equations using the Itô calculus. We present several numerical methods for solving stochastic differential equations. These methods are then implemented in MATLAB and we investigate their properties, especially their convergence characteristics. Furthermore, we formulate two models for pricing of European call options. We solve these models using a variant of the spectral collocation method, again in MATLAB.

Over 22 billion derivative contracts were traded on different stock exchanges globally during the year 2010 of which almost 50% were futures while the remaining 50% were options. An overall 25% increase in such contracts was registered as compared to those traded in the year 2009 (International Options Market Association (IOMA) Report, 2011).Investors often use a wide array of trading tools, market indicators and market trading strategies to get the best possible returns for the money that was invested. The main objective of this paper is to focus on the use of market sentiment indicators, specifically the Put-Call Ratio (PCR) as a predictor of returns for an investor.The Put-Call Ratio is defined as a ratio of the trading volume of put options to call options. It is called a sentiment indicator because it measures the “feelings” of option traders. Additionally, it has longed been viewed as an indicator of investors’ sentiment in the market (Put-Call Ratio, 2012) and is possibly the most favoured description of market psychology (James, 2011). / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Warrant pricing has become very crucial in the present market scenario. See, for example, M. Hanke and K. Potzelberger, Consistent pricing of warrants and traded options, Review Financial Economics 11(1) (2002) 63-77 where the authors indicate that warrants issuance affects the stock price process of the issuing company. This change in the stock price process leads to subsequent changes in the prices of options written on the issuing company's stocks. Another notable work is W.G. Zhang, W.L. Xiao and C.X. He, Equity warrant pricing model under Fractional Brownian motion and an empirical study, Expert System with Applications 36(2) (2009) 3056-3065 where the authors construct equity warrants pricing model under Fractional Brownian motion and deduce the European options pricing formula with a simple method. We study this paper in details in this mini-thesis. We also study some of the mathematical models on warrant pricing using the Black-Scholes framework. The relationship between the price of the warrants and the price of the call accounts for the dilution effect is also studied mathematically. Finally we do some numerical simulations to derive the value of warrants.

This thesis sets out to examine if and how private equity funds should hedge foreign exchange exposure. To our knowledge the field of foreign exchange hedging within private equity, from the private equity firms’ point of view, is vastly unexplored scientifically. The subject is important since foreign ex-change risk has a larger impact on private equity returns now than historically due to increased competition, cross-boarder investments and foreign exchange volatility. In order to answer the research question a simulation model is constructed and implemented under different scenarios. Foreign exchange rates are simulated and theoretical private equity funds are investigated and com-pared under different performance measures. The underlying mathematical theory originates from the work of Black and Scholes. The main result of this thesis is that private equity funds cannot achieve a higher internal rate of return on average through hedging of foreign exchange exposure independent of the slope of the foreign exchange forward curve. However, hedging strategies yielding the same mean internal rate of return but performing better in terms of performance measures accounting for volatility of returns have been found. Furthermore, we found that the conclusions are independent of whether the current or forward foreign exchange rate is a better approximation for the future foreign exchange rate. / Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur private equity fonder ska hedgea valutaexponering. Ämnet är såvitt vi vet ej tidigare undersökt inom vetenskaplig forskning ur private equity företagens synvinkel. Ämnet är viktigt eftersom valutarisk har fått en större påverkan på private equity företagens avkastning jämfört med hur det har sett ut historiskt på grund av högre konkurrens, mer internationella investeringar samt ökad volatilitet i valutakurser. En simuleringsmodell har konstruerats och implementerats under olika scenarier för att besvara forskningsfrågan. Valutakurser simuleras och teoretiska private equity fonder undersöks samt jämförs utefter olika nyckeltal. Den underliggande matematiska modelleringen härstammar från Black och Scholes forskning. Uppsatsens viktigaste resultat är att private equity fonder inte kan uppnå en högre avkastning genom att hedgea valutaexponering oavsett lutningen av den förväntade valutautvecklingskurvan. Vi har dock funnit att det existerar hedgingstrategier som ger samma avkastning med lägre volatilitet. Vidare är slutsatserna oberoende av om nuvarande eller förväntad framtida valutakurs är den bästa approximationen av den framtida valutakursen.

This thesis investigated Stochastic Runge–Kutta Lawson (SRKL) schemes and their application to the Heston model. Two distinct SRKL discretization methods were used to simulate a single asset’s dynamics under the Heston model, notably the Euler–Maruyama and Midpoint schemes. Additionally, standard Monte Carlo and variance reduction techniques were implemented. European and Asian option prices were estimated and compared with a benchmark value regarding accuracy, effectiveness, and computational complexity. Findings showed that the SRKL Euler–Maruyama schemes exhibited promise in enhancing the price for simple and path-dependent options. Consequently, integrating SRKL numerical methods into option valuation provides notable advantages by addressing challenges posed by the Heston model’s SDEs. Given the limited scope of this research topic, it is imperative to conduct further studies to understand the use of SRKL schemes within other models.

The main goal of this dissertation was to obtain an understanding as to the true economic nature of employee share options and the problems surrounding the accounting thereof. The main conclusion of this study is that employee share options should be expensed in the income statement as and when the employee's services are performed. The reason is that employee share options are valuable financial instruments which the employer has used to compensate the employee for his services. It was also concluded that exercise date accounting and classification of outstanding employee share options as liabilities on the balance sheet is the most appropriate accounting treatment. Such accounting treatment trues up the accounting of employee share options with that of cash-settled share appreciation rights, which are economically equivalent transactions. The measurement of employee share options should be based on their fair value using an option-pricing model adapted for the specific features of employee share options. / Accounting / Thesis (M. Com. (Accounting Science))

Title: Stochastic Models in Financial Mathematics Author: Bc. Oliver Waczulík Department: Department of Probability and Mathematical Statistics Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Jan Hurt, CSc., Department of Probability and Mathe- matical Statistics Abstract: This thesis looks into the problems of ordinary stochastic models used in financial mathematics, which are often influenced by unrealistic assumptions of Brownian motion. The thesis deals with and suggests more sophisticated alternatives to Brownian motion models. By applying the fractional Brownian motion we derive a modification of the Black-Scholes pricing formula for a mixed fractional Bro- wnian motion. We use Lévy processes to introduce subordinated stable process of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type serving for modeling interest rates. We present the calibration procedures for these models along with a simulation study for estima- tion of Hurst parameter. To illustrate the practical use of the models introduced in the paper we have used real financial data and custom procedures program- med in the system Wolfram Mathematica. We have achieved almost 90% decline in the value of Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics by the application of subordinated stable process of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type for the historical values of the monthly PRIBOR (Prague Interbank Offered Rate) rates in...