No Arabic abstract
How to reconcile the classical Heston model with its rough counterpart? We introduce a lifted version of the Heston model with n multi-factors, sharing the same Brownian motion but mean reverting at different speeds. Our model nests as extreme cases the classical Heston model (when n = 1), and the rough Heston model (when n goes to infinity). We show that the lifted model enjoys the best of both worlds: Markovianity and satisfactory fits of implied volatility smiles for short maturities with very few parameters. Further, our approach speeds up the calibration time and opens the door to time-efficient simulation schemes.
This paper presents an algorithm for a complete and efficient calibration of the Heston stochastic volatility model. We express the calibration as a nonlinear least squares problem. We exploit a suitable representation of the Heston characteristic function and modify it to avoid discontinuities caused by branch switchings of complex functions. Using this representation, we obtain the analytical gradient of the price of a vanilla option with respect to the model parameters, which is the key element of all variants of the objective function. The interdependency between the components of the gradient enables an efficient implementation which is around ten times faster than a numerical gradient. We choose the Levenberg-Marquardt method to calibrate the model and do not observe multiple local minima reported in previous research. Two-dimensional sections show that the objective function is shaped as a narrow valley with a flat bottom. Our method is the fastest calibration of the Heston model developed so far and meets the speed requirement of practical trading.
The transition probability of a Cox-Ingersoll-Ross process can be represented by a non-central chi-square density. First we prove a new representation for the central chi-square density based on sums of powers of generalized Gaussian random variables. Second we prove Marsaglias polar method extends to this distribution, providing a simple, exact, robust and efficient acceptance-rejection method for generalized Gaussian sampling and thus central chi-square sampling. Third we derive a simple, high-accuracy, robust and efficient direct inversion method for generalized Gaussian sampling based on the Beasley-Springer-Moro method. Indeed the accuracy of the approximation to the inverse cumulative distribution function is to the tenth decimal place. We then apply our methods to non-central chi-square variance sampling in the Heston model. We focus on the case when the number of degrees of freedom is small and the zero boundary is attracting and attainable, typical in foreign exchange markets. Using the additivity property of the chi-square distribution, our methods apply in all parameter regimes.
Efficient sampling for the conditional time integrated variance process in the Heston stochastic volatility model is key to the simulation of the stock price based on its exact distribution. We construct a new series expansion for this integral in terms of double infinite weighted sums of particular independent random variables through a change of measure and the decomposition of squared Bessel bridges. When approximated by series truncations, this representation has exponentially decaying truncation errors. We propose feasible strategies to largely reduce the implementation of the new series to simulations of simple random variables that are independent of any model parameters. We further develop direct inversion algorithms to generate samples for such random variables based on Chebyshev polynomial approximations for their inverse distribution functions. These approximations can be used under any market conditions. Thus, we establish a strong, efficient and almost exact sampling scheme for the Heston model.
We present an option pricing formula for European options in a stochastic volatility model. In particular, the volatility process is defined using a fractional integral of a diffusion process and both the stock price and the volatility processes have jumps in order to capture the market effect known as leverage effect. We show how to compute a martingale representation for the volatility process. Finally, using It^o calculus for processes with discontinuous trajectories, we develop a first order approximation formula for option prices. There are two main advantages in the usage of such approximating formulas to traditional pricing methods. First, to improve computational effciency, and second, to have a deeper understanding of the option price changes in terms of changes in the model parameters.
These notes are the first half of the contents of the course given by the second author at the Bachelier Seminar (February 8-15-22 2008) at IHP. They also correspond to topics studied by the first author for her Ph.D.thesis.