Not logged in.

Contribution Details

Type Book Chapter
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Returns from investing in S&P500 futures options, 1985-2010
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Alexandre Ziegler
Editors
  • Anastasios G Malliaris
  • William T Ziemba
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Booktitle Handbook of Futures Markets
ISBN 978-981-4566-91-9
Place of Publication London
Publisher Imperial College Press
Page Range n/a
Date 2014
Abstract Text Puts and calls on S&P500 futures are bought and sold for various purposes including speculation, hedging and portfolio insurance. We investigate the rate of return from buying or selling these options from the start of options trading in 1985 until 2010. These rates of return are variable and depend upon the trading horizons, the level of the VIX volatility index, whether the options are in or out or near the money and whether the market is rallying or in a crash mode. We specifically study the 2007-9 stock market crash period and various bullish market periods. Our results show that while selling out-of-the-money options is generally profitable, it sometimes generates steep losses. Hence, speculators trying to take advantage of mispriced options are wise to utilize accurate prediction models, devise variable types of hedged strategies and be well capitalized to weather market storms and have strategies in place to deal with them.
Other Identification Number merlin-id:9548
PDF File Download from ZORA
Export BibTeX
EP3 XML (ZORA)