An Accelerated Return Note (ARN) is a structured instrument that offers a potentially higher return linked to the performance of a reference entity that could be an equity, an index, or a basket of assets. The payoff depends on the performance of the underlying assets. Usually, it is capped but not floored, that means it does not offer any…[Read more]

A constant proportion portfolio insurance (CPPI) is a trading strategy where an initial investment is dynamically reallocated between a risky asset and risk-free bond such that a minimum payoff is guaranteed at maturity. The risky asset could be from equities, funds, or commodities.

A reverse convertible autocallable swap allows two parties exchange floating coupons with fixed coupons on certain future dates. On some coupon dates, the swap may be cancelled. Should the swap be cancelled on coupon date t, the coupons due on coupon date t will be paid and all further cash flows are terminated.

A best of option pays the option holder the best return at maturity among a given set of portfolios, where each portfolio may be defined by a set of weights on the same underlying basket or different baskets. These are chooser options that return the best performing among several baskets of funds or indices that reflect growth, moderate and…[Read more]

A spread option is an option written on the difference of two underling assets, whose values at time t we denote by S1(t) and S2(t). We consider only options of the European type for which the buyer has the right to be paid, at the maturity date T, the difference S2(T)−S1(T), known as the spread. To exercise the option, the buyer must pay at m…[Read more]

A callable note allows the issuer to exercise a call option on the note on a specified date or set of dates prior to maturity. Callable note or callable exotics are among the most challenging derivatives to price. These products are loosely defined by the provision that the holder or issuer has the right to call the product or exercise into…[Read more]

A quanto option is an option whose payout is made in a currency other than that of the underlying security, based on a fixed exchange rate. The term “quanto” is abbreviation for “quantity adjusted” that refers to the feature where the payoff of an option is determined by the financial price of index in one currency but the actual payout if realize…[Read more]

This study aims to outline and critically analyze key shades in the contemporary meaning of the military culture. An etymological study is conducted, based on a literature review of academic publications in the sphere of military culture. Furthermore, text mining was performed in the bodies of deliberately selected publications in order to explore…[Read more]

A binary option is an option with a predetermined payoff, triggered only if the underlying price meets the strike price. These are also commonly referred to as “all or nothing” or “digital options”. Binary call pays a fixed amount if the underlying price ends up above the strike price, while binary put pays off a fixed amount if the underly…[Read more]

A cliquet option, also called ratchet option, consists of a series of forward start options, each struck at the money on the date it becomes active. Typically, each option begins on the date corresponding to the expiry of the previous option. The cliquet is a series of at-the-money options, with periodic settlement, resetting the strike value at…[Read more]

Barrier options are set up conditionally, so that within the life of the option, a barrier may or may not be reached. The barrier option is dependent on an “extreme” price, either high or low, attained by the underlying. If a barrier is reached, or touched, the constraints are triggered.

A lookback option gives the option holder the right but not the obligation to buy the underlying asset at the lowest price. It pays a single call-option-style payoff based on the performance of the underlying asset’s final price relative to its initial price, where both the initial and final prices are computed using a lookback formula.

A variance swap is an instrument which allows investors to trade future realized (historical) volatility against current implied volatility. The Variance Swap pays the difference between observed variance and a strike variance, possibly subject to a cap and a floor. The observed variance is computed from the stock price returns over a series of…[Read more]

An equity warrant is an option on the equity of a firm issued by the same firm, which gives the holder the right to purchase shares at a fixed price from the firm at a future date. When a warrant is exercised, the firm typically issues new shares at the exercise price to fill the order. The resulting increase in shares outstanding dilutes the share value.

An equity swap is an OTC contract between two parties to exchange a set of cash flows in the future. Normally one party pays the return based on capital gains and dividends realized on an equity security and the other party pays the return based on a floating interest rate plus a spread.

Equity options, which are the most common type of equity derivatives, give an investor the right but not the obligation to buy a call or sell a put at a set strike price prior to the contract’s expiry date. Equity options are derivatives that means their value is derived from the value of an underlying equity. Investors and traders can use e…[Read more]

An Equity Forward contract is an agreement between two counterparties to buy a specific number of equity stocks, stock index or basket at a given price (called strike price) at a given date. For any forward contract no cash changes hands until the maturity of the contract. Equity forward contracts are cash settled in most cases. At maturity, the…[Read more]

Convertible bonds can be thought of as normal corporate bonds with embedded options, which enable the holder to exchange the bond asset for the issuer’s stock. Having properties of both stocks and bonds, convertibles can be an attractive choice for investors and have tended to have lower risk.

A basket option can be used to hedge the risk exposure to or speculate the market move on the underlying stock basket. Because it involves just one transaction, a basket option often costs less than multiple single options. The most important feature of a basket option is its ability to efficiently hedge risk on multiple assets at the same time.…[Read more]

An Asian option or average option is a special type of option contract where the payoff depends on the average price of the underlying asset over a certain period of time. The payoff is different from the case of a European option or American option, where the payoff of the option contract depends on the price of the underlying stock at exercise date.