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Jarrow DerivativeSecurityMarkets 1994
Jarrow DerivativeSecurityMarkets 1994
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Abstract
This paper studies a new theory for pricing options in a large trader economy. This theory
necessitates studying the impact that derivative security markets have on market manipu?
lation. In an economy with a stock, money market account, and a derivative security, it is
shown, by example, that the introduction ofthe derivative security generates market manip?
ulation trading strategies that would otherwise not exist. A sufficient condition is provided
on the price process such that no additional market manipulation trading strategies are in-
troduced by a derivative security. Options are priced under this condition, where it is shown
that the standard binomial option model still applies but with random volatilities.
I. Introduction
Standard option pricing theory is based on four basic assumptions. The first
that all traders have symmetric information, in that they agree on zero probabili
events. The second is that markets are complete. The third and fourth assumpti
are that markets are frictionless and that all investors act as price takers. Und
these four basic assumptions, the absence of arbitrage opportunities gives a uni
option price (see Harrison and Pliska (1981) for the formulation). Recent resear
has endeavored to study option pricing theory under the relaxation of these fo
assumptions. Investigations into incomplete markets, e.g., Follmer and Schweiz
(1991), Hofmann, Platen, and Schweizer (1992), and transaction costs, e.g., Be
said, Lesne, Pages, and Scheinkman (1992), have been pursued. The purpose of
this paper is to investigate option valuation under the relaxation ofthe price takin
assumption. To facilitate understanding and comparison with the existing liter
ture, I maintain the other three assumptions of symmetric information, compl
and frictionless markets.1
In relaxing the price taking assumption, I introduce the simplest possibl
change to the economy, the existence of a monopolist or a large trader. This
introduction necessitates investigating the meaning of "no arbitrage opportunit
*Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. The auth
gratefully acknowledges helpful comments from Kerry Back, Peter Carr, John Zacharias, JFQA R
eree Avi Bick, and the participants at Cornell University and Indiana University finance workshop
lA recent paper by Back (1992) investigates option valuation while simultaneously relaxing
assumptions except frictionless markets.
241
in this context. This, in fact, relates to the issue of market manipulation, which
is a topic of growing concern to financial economists (see Jarrow (1992), Bagnoli
and Lipman (1989), Allen and Gale (1992), Gastineau and Jarrow (1991), and
Black (1990)). In an earlier paper, Jarrow (1992) studied the existence of market
manipulation in an economy consisting of a bond and stock market. The second
purpose of this paper is to extend Jarrow's study to investigate what impact, if any,
the existence of derivative security markets has on market manipulation. This is a
necessary prerequisite towards understanding option valuation. To study this issue,
I perform the following "controlled experiment." Using the insights developed
in Jarrow (1992), I construct a frictionless economy consisting of a stock and
bond market where no market manipulation trading strategies exist for the large
trader. Next, I introduce trading in a derivative security on the stock, which by
construction, can be synthetically constructed by the large trader. This satisfies
the complete markets assumption. I then study whether any additional market
manipulation trading strategies exist.
Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Examples are provided to show that without
additional structure, market manipulation is now possible when it was not before.
One example is through market corners, obtained using derivatives to avoid aggre?
gate stock share holding constraints. A second is through a trading strategy where
the manipulator front runs his own trades to take advantage of any leads/lags in
price adjustments across the stock and the derivative security market. The intu?
ition underlying this result is that whereas before there was only one market in
which to purchase the stock, now there are two (considering the derivative market
as the second market). If the two markets are not perfectly aligned, manipulation
is possible. The two markets are said to be in synchrony if the stock price adjusts
instantaneously to reflect the large trader's stock holdings, including those implicit
in his holdings ofthe derivative. Excluding corners, I show that this is a sufficient
condition for there to be no market manipulation trading strategies. The satisfac-
tion of this condition, in actual security markets, requires the efficient transmission
of information across the two markets.
Let {Dt: ter} represent the stochastic process for the derivative security's
value, which is adapted to {Ft: t e r}. By assumption, the derivative security has
no cash flows prior to time T. Define its relative price to be Ct = Dt/Bt.
The speculator's holdings ofthe stock, money market account, and derivative
security are denoted by a three-dimensional adapted stochastic process {(at, pt, 7,):
ter}, with at equal to the number of shares of the stock, /?, equal to the number
of money market account units, and 7, the number of derivative securities held at
time t. This stochastic process is called a trading strategy. I endow the speculator
with zero initial holdings of the stock, money market account, and the derivative
security. This is for convenience.
Let <P denote the set of all self-financing trading strategies {(at, (3t, 7,): t G r}.
Also, let #0 denote the subset of these strategies with identically zero holdings of
the derivative security for all times t G r, i.e., 7, = 0. It represents an active
position only in the stock and the money market fund.
I now characterize the economy through Assumptions A.1-A.5.
A.l. Frictionless Markets
There are no transaction costs nor short sale restrictions imposed upon th
large trader's holdings {at, /?,, 7,: t G r}.
This assumption is very weak and merely determines the reaction function
of the market to the speculator's trades, as reflected in the equilibrium price. Th
equilibrium price is assumed to be only a function ofthe large trader's holdings i
the stock and the derivative security.
It is important to emphasize that the speculator's trading strategy {at, f3t, 7,:
t G t} is a function of the state of the world uj G fi. This, however, is a very gen
eral specification. For example, this includes as a special case, trading strategie
that can be written as functions of the relative stock price process {Zt: t G r}. T
see this, note that Assumption A.2 implies that given {at, f3t, 7,: t G r}, the rela
tive stock price is a deterministic function of uj. Thus, for a given trading strategy
{at,(3t,jt: t G r}, the relative stock price process {Zt: t G r} generates an infor
mation filtration. If the speculator's trading strategy happens to be measurab
with respect to the information filtration generated by {Zt: t G r}, then the tradin
strategy {at, (3t, 7,: t G r} can alternatively be written as a function of the stoc
price process {Zf.ter}. This alternate specification would implicitly incorporate
any simultaneity due to the relative stock price depending on the trad
{a?/??7,:f Et}.
Assume that the large trader knows the sequence of price functi
The exogenous specification of the price process as in Assumption A
ever, does not make explicit the information and the structure of th
that is common knowledge to the remaining traders. An explicit d
of what is common knowledge and to whom requires a complete spec
the underlying equilibrium (or perhaps, disequilibrium) economy. Wi
construction, a number of interesting and important issues remain inde
An illustration of this indeterminacy is presented in Section V below
terminacy is a weakness of the partial equilibrium analysis. Paradox
also its strength, as it allows the analysis to be simultaneously consist
merous different common knowledge structures and equilibrium con
additional elaboration of Assumption A.2, see Jarrow (1992).
This is Assumption A.3 of Jarrow (1992) with the derivative security holdings
set identically equal to zero. This assumption states that as the speculator's stock
holdings increase, everything else constant, relative prices increase. Similarly,
as his share holdings decrease, everything else remains constant and there is no
market corner and short squeeze, then the relative price decreases. A market corner
and short squeeze in state uj g f? at time t G r is defined as a pair of shares holding
at,at-\ such that [at-\(u)) > at(uj) > N]. A market corner and short squeeze
are excluded from the specification of the equilibrium price process because when
they occur, the market process breaks down.
5An example is whether the price function gf(a;, c/(a;), 7^(0;)) is common knowledge to the re?
maining traders. Even if it is, the large trader's trades (af(uj), j{(uj)) need not be common knowledge
nor even deductible in an equilibrium. This follows because the realization of gt(uj, cxr(uj), jf(uj)) need
not be invertible in (a{(uj), 7^(0;)).
6Two probability measures are said to be equivalent if they agree on zero probability events. For
the two equivalent probability measures P and P,, "/>/-a.s." and 'T-a.s." have the same meaning, hence,
for brevity, I subsequently write these as "a.s."
(3) Ct(uj) = ?f (cj, oc(uj), ^(uj)) Zt(uj) - mt (uj, al(uj), 7f(o;)), and
(6) ct (uo, a'(uj), 7'M) = nt (v, ^(uj), yf(uj)) gt (uj, a\uj), jf(uj))
The contract equals the value ofthe stock (g\(uj)), less the forward price, (K/B\).
Next, value the contract at time 0. To obtain this value, add some additional
structure. First, let the remaining set of traders indexed by the set / be price takers.
Assume that they also trade without frictions. Finally, assume that there are no
arbitrage opportunities for price takers with respect to the price process described
by Assumptions A. 1-A.5. This additional assumption is distinct from Assumption
A.5, which concentrated on the large trader's behavior.
Given these additional assumptions, the standard techniques can now be ap?
plied by price takers to construct a synthetic forward. They simply buy the stock,
store it, and borrow K/B\ dollars to finance the purchase. This strategy duplicates
the forward contract's time 1 payoff, therefore, no arbitrage implies
The large trader's real wealth at time t G r under state uj G fi for a trading
strategy {at, (3t, 7,: t G r} G $ is defined by
Ngo(uj;N; 1) + K/B\) where M > 0 is a large constant, then V2(uj) > M > 0
a.s. By construction, this is a market manipulation trading strategy.
Notice that this strategy always satisfies the aggregate share constraint since
ao < N,cx\ < N, and a2 < N. This is true even including the time 1 delivery ofthe
share from the forward contract. By using the derivative security, the speculator
"avoids" the share constraint to corner the market and create a short squeeze.
Because the speculator avoids the market mechanism through such a strategy,
exclusion of this manipulation requires government regulation. The approach used
in Assumption A.6 is to impose aggregate share restrictions jointly on (at + nt^t)
such that manipulation is excluded. A second approach is to require cash delivery
settlement rather than physical delivery settlement of the stock. Combining this
condition with the previous regulatory constraint that (at < N for all t G r) would
remove these manipulation strategies as well. ?
f 1/2 if a0 = 0, 70=1
(12) go(?o;7o) = <
[ exp(ao + 7o) otherwise,
where y(uj) is F\ -measurable and satisfies 1 /2 < y(uj) a.s. with E(y(uj)) = 1, wh
P is defined as in Assumption A.4.
First, I show that Expressions (12) and (13) satisfy Assumptions A.1-A.5.
To see this, note that if 70 = 71 = 0, then
gl(uj,a{(uj),ao;0,Q) =
time sell the stock. Indeed, a calculation in the Appendix yields the t
wealth to be
When the security markets are synchronous, the market prices adjust instan-
taneously to the true "effective" stock purchases of the large trader, even though
he "disguises" some of these purchases in the derivative security market. The
following proposition should now come as no surprise.
The proof is delegated to the Appendix. The logic of the proof, however, is
straightforward. First, I show that any self-financing trading strategy involving
the derivative security can be duplicated by the large trader with a self-financing
trading strategy in the stock and money market fund alone. Proposition 1 then
gives the result.
This proposition provides sufficient conditions for a derivative security market
not to introduce any additional market manipulation strategies for the speculator.
First, market corners and short squeezes are excluded by the limit position con?
straint that at + nt^t < N a.s. This restricts the speculator's total holdings in the
stock plus derivative to be less than the total supply outstanding at any date. Sec?
ond, the markets must be in synchrony. The satisfaction of this condition requires
the efficient transmission of information across the two different, but related, mar?
kets. Whether or not markets satisfy this later condition is a testable hypothesis.
Its satisfaction certainly depends on the ability of arbitrageurs to profit from any
deviations.
market account, and a European call option on the stock. The Europ
matures at date 2 with an exercise price of K. The notation is the
Section II.
(18a) F0 = {ct),f?},
P((d,d)) = (\-pf.
Assume that the other traders in the economy, indexed by / G /, are price
takers and have equivalent probability beliefs Pl defined as in Expression (19)
with/?' G (0,1).
The "fundamental" price process {yt:t G r} follows the standard binomial
random walk with a constant "volatility," i.e.,
( y0eu if uj e {(u,u),(u,d)}
(20b) yi(uj) = , ,
y0ed if uj e{(d,u),(d,d)},
yoe2u if uj = (u, u)
(20c) y2(uj) y0eli+d if uj e{(u,d),(d,u)}
y0e2d if uj = (d,d).
8The subsequent analysis does not depend in any significant manner on the functional form ofthe
stock price process given in Expression (21). As the following argument will show, the analysis can
be easily generalized to any process satisfying Assumptions A.1-A.5.
where u G {(u, d), (u, u)} and d G {(d, u), (d, d)}.
This implies that the speculator cannot change the ordinal ranking
jumps due to {yt:t G r} and only has "local" price adjustment
restriction is imposed for simplicity and it is not necessary for t
analysis.
Let {at,/3t,<yt:t e r} G # be the speculator's optimal self-financing trading
strategy. By optimal, I mean that {at,(3t,^t:t G r} maximizes the speculator's
preferenees across all possible self-financing trading strategies in #. His prefer?
enees are left unspecified with the exception that more real wealth at time T is
preferred to less.
Given that the speculator knows his optimal self-financing trading strategy
{at, pt, 7r: t G r} in replicating the call, he faces only the fundamental price risk
{yt: t G r}. Hence, he can replicate the call option using a dynamic trading
strategy. I price the call such that i) there are no market manipulation trading
strategies (by imposing synchronous markets), and such that ii) the large trader
does not want to change his optimal holdings. To make this argumen
deviation of [nt,mt, ? 1: t G {0,1}} from the speculator's optimal po
this deviation, the speculator's total holdings are
The effective holdings ofthe speculator at time 2 are unchanged from (a2 + ?272),
since the speculator's synthetic long call and actual written call negate each other.
Due to Expression (23a), there exists a unique solution to this system,
Because of Expression (23a), 0 < n\(u) < 1 and m\(u) < 0. A similar
calculation generates (n\(d),m\(d)) as identical to (n\(u), m\(u)), but replacing the
first"?" argument in all of Expression (26) with "of."
Now, both strategies (ai + n\,P\ + m\,^\ ? 1) and (a\,{3\,j\) generate the
identical holdings at time 2, i.e., (a2,p2,'y2). Unless the time 1 value of the
positions is equal, the initial portfolio (a \, P\, 71) could not be an optimum. Indeed,
if (ct\ +n\, p\ +m\, 71 ? 1) were lower in value, it would be preferred. Conversely,
if it were higher in value, then (a \ ? n \, P\ ? m, 71 +1) would be preferred. Hence,
the optimality condition for {at, Pt, 7r: t e r} implies
This condition by itself does not yield a unique determination ofthe call price. The
reason is that the left side of Expression (27) involves c\(uj, a\ +n\ + ?1(71 ? 1)),
while the right side involves c\(uj; a\ + ?171). These are in general two different
quantities. To close the model we assume a synchronous market condition,
This is an exact pricing model for the call. Note that it satisfies Assumption A.6.
Substitution of n\(uj) and m\(uj) into Expression (30) and simplification generates
+ (1 - X(u)) [^(a2(w'J)+"2(w'J)72(w'J))^o^-^/^2(w)]+,
e<r][a\(u)+n\(u)7\(u)] _ er][a2(u,d)+n2(u,d)j2(u,d)]+d
where X(u) = pT][a2(u,u)+n2(u,u)^y2(u,u)]+u _ pT][a2(u,d)+n2(u,d)^y2(u,d)]+d '
A similar expression holds for C\(d\ a\ + ?i7i) with the first argum
of (31) and (32) replaced by a "J."
This is the standard binomial option pricing model (see Jarrow
(1983)) with the fundamental stock price process (yt(oj)) of Expre
placed by the controlled process (ht(uj; at(uj) + nt(uj)^t(u))) of Expr
Otherwise, it is identical. This difference is significant, however, a
for all uj e Q.
VI. Conclusion
Appendix
Example 3. Calculations
time 0) 0 = Ng0(N; 1) + p0 + 1 ? c0(N, 1) by Expression (1).
But, co(N, 1) = 0 by construction, so
Po = -Ng0(N; 1).
time 1) By Expression (1),
Ngx(N - l,N; 1,1) + Po + cx(N - l,N; 1,1)
= (N- l)gx(N- l,N;l,l) + pl+cl(N- l,N;l,l). So,
0i=Po + gi(N-l,N;l,l).
But at date l,cx(N - l,N; 1,1) = gx(N - l,N; 1,1) -K/Bx becau
short forward contract delivers the share to the speculator. Reca
each unit ofthe money market account is worth Bx dollars at tim
time 2) V2 = (N- \)g2(0,N- \,N; 0,1,1)+A + \(g2(0,N- \,N; 0,1, \)-K
= Ng2(0,N - 1,7V; 0,1, l) + p0 + gi(N - l,N; 1,1) - (K/Bx)
= N[g2(0,N - 1,7V; 0,1,1) - g0(N; 1)] + gx(N - l,N; 1,1) - (K/
This is Expression (11) in the text.
Example 4. Calculations
At time 0, by Expression (1), 0 = Po + co(0,1). By definition, co(0,1)
p0 = 0. The time 1 real wealth is V\ (uj) = +Po + cx (uj; 0,0; 0,1). Using Ex
(7), and the value of Po yields V\ (uj) = g\ (uj; 0,0; 0,1) ? K/B \. But by Ex
(8), ?0(0; 1) -K/B{ = 0. Using this yields Vx(uj) = gx(uj; 0,0; 0, \)-go(
is Expression (15) in the text.
0 = a0Z0 + 70C0 + Po
= a0h0 (d0) + 70 [?o (^o, 70) ho (^0) - m0 (a0,70)] + Po by Assumption A.6
= doho (do) + Po by definition of do, Po-
Next, there is a random change from time 0 to time 1 and a portfolio rebal?
ancing. The self-financing condition yields
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