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How do you derive the linear pricing equations from asset payoffs and current prices in a one-period securities market model?

To derive the linear pricing equations, you impose the no-arbitrage condition that the current price of each traded asset must equal the sum of its state-contingent payoffs weighted by the corresponding state prices. This produces one linear equation per traded asset, with the state prices acting as the unknowns.

Conditions

  • One-period model with a finite set of states.
  • Prices of all traded assets are known today.
  • State-contingent payoffs for each asset are known.
  • The unknowns are the state prices (Arrow-Debreu security prices).

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the current price of a traded asset.
  2. List the asset's payoffs across all possible states.
  3. Multiply each state payoff by the corresponding state price unknown.
  4. Sum these weighted payoffs and set the total equal to the asset's current price.
  5. Repeat this process for every traded asset to form a system of linear equations.

Example

For a risk-free bank account paying 110 in all three states with a current price of 100, the equation is 110ψ1+110ψ2+110ψ3=100110\psi_1 + 110\psi_2 + 110\psi_3 = 100. For Security X paying 220, 55, and 0 across the three states, the equation is 220ψ1+55ψ2+0ψ3=100220\psi_1 + 55\psi_2 + 0\psi_3 = 100.

Common misconceptions

  • Omitting scenarios with zero payoff entirely when writing the asset pricing equation; they should still be represented as terms like 0⋅ψ30\cdot\psi_3 to maintain the structure.
  • Overlooking the risk-free bank account as a priced security, which contributes the first pricing equation in the system.

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