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Traffic Light Options

Author

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  • Løchte, Peter

    (Department of Business Studies, Aarhus School of Business)

Abstract

This paper introduces, prices, and analyzes traffic light options. The traffic light option is an innovative structured OTC derivative developed independently by several London-based investment banks to suit the needs of Danish life and pension (L&P) companies, which must comply with the traffic light solvency stress test system introduced by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (DFSA) in June 2001. This monitoring system requires L&P companies to submit regular reports documenting the sensitivity of the companies’ base capital to certain pre-defined market shocks – the red and yellow light scenarios. These stress scenarios entail drops in interest rates as well as in stock prices, and traffic light options are thus designed to pay off and preserve sufficient capital when interest rates and stock prices fall simultaneously. Sweden’s FSA implemented a traffic light system in January 2006, and supervisory authorities in many other European countries have implemented similar regulation. Traffic light options are therefore likely to attract the attention of a wider audience of pension fund managers in the future. Focusing on the valuation of the traffic light option we set up a Black-Scholes/Hull-White model to describe stock market and interest rate dynamics, and analyze the traffic light option in this framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Løchte, Peter, 2006. "Traffic Light Options," Finance Research Group Working Papers F-2006-08, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Business Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhb:aarbfi:2006-08
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    File URL: http://www.hha.dk/bs/wp/fin/F_2006_08.pdf
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    1. Høg, Espen P. & Frederiksen, Per H., 2006. "The Fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process: Term Structure Theory and Application," Finance Research Group Working Papers F-2006-01, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Business Studies.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dirk Broeders & An Chen, 2013. "Pension Benefit Security: A Comparison of Solvency Requirements, a Pension Guarantee Fund, and Sponsor Support," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 80(2), pages 239-272, June.
    2. Kokholm, Thomas, 2008. "Pricing of Traffic Light Options and other Correlation Derivatives," Finance Research Group Working Papers F-2008-01, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Business Studies.
    3. Dirk Broeders & An Chen, 2013. "Pension Benefit Security: A Comparison of Solvency Requirements, a Pension Guarantee Fund, and Sponsor Support," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 80(2), pages 239-272, June.
    4. Michael Schmutz & Thomas Zurcher, 2010. "Static replications with traffic light options," Papers 1011.4795, arXiv.org.
    5. Broeders, Dirk & Chen, An, 2010. "Pension regulation and the market value of pension liabilities: A contingent claims analysis using Parisian options," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1201-1214, June.
    6. Michael Schmutz & Thomas Zürcher, 2014. "Static Hedging with Traffic Light Options," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 690-702, July.
    7. Shi, Zhen & Werker, Bas J.M., 2012. "Short-horizon regulation for long-term investors," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3227-3238.

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