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An application of nonparametric volatility estimators to option pricing

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  • Romuald Kenmoe
  • Simona Sanfelici

Abstract

We discuss the impact of volatility estimates from high frequency data on derivative pricing. The principal purpose is to estimate the diffusion coefficient of an Itô process using a nonparametric Nadaraya–Watson kernel approach based on selective estimators of spot volatility proposed in the econometric literature, which are based on high frequency data. The accuracy of different spot volatility estimates is measured in terms of how accurately they can reproduce market option prices. To this aim, we fit a diffusion model to S&P 500 data, and successively, we use the calibrated model to price European call options written on the S&P 500 index. The estimation results are compared to well-known parametric alternatives available in the literature. Empirical results not only show that using intra-day data rather than daily provides better volatility estimates and hence smaller pricing errors, but also highlight that the choice of the spot volatility estimator has effective impact on pricing. Copyright Springer-Verlag Italia 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Romuald Kenmoe & Simona Sanfelici, 2014. "An application of nonparametric volatility estimators to option pricing," Decisions in Economics and Finance, Springer;Associazione per la Matematica, vol. 37(2), pages 393-412, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:decfin:v:37:y:2014:i:2:p:393-412
    DOI: 10.1007/s10203-013-0150-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Elvira Mancino & Simona Sanfelici, 2020. "Nonparametric Malliavin–Monte Carlo Computation of Hedging Greeks," Risks, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-17, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nonparametric volatility estimation; Option pricing; High frequency data; Fokker–Planck equation; C13; C58; G13;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C58 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Financial Econometrics
    • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing

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