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What is the risk-neutral pricing formula shown for a derivative payoff?

The risk-neutral pricing formula for a derivative with terminal payoff VNV_N at time NN is Vn=En[VN(1+r)N−n]V_n = \mathbb{E}_n\left[\frac{V_N}{(1+r)^{N-n}}\right]. This means the price at time nn is the conditional expectation of the discounted terminal payoff.

Conditions

  • Used in the risk-neutral pricing setting.
  • Discounting uses the factor (1+r)N−n(1+r)^{N-n}.
  • VNV_N is the payoff at time NN, and VnV_n is the price at time nn.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the terminal payoff VNV_N at time NN.
  2. Discount the payoff back to time nn using the factor (1+r)N−n(1+r)^{N-n}.
  3. Take the conditional expectation of this discounted payoff given the information at time nn.
  4. Set this equal to the current price VnV_n.

Example

The slide displays: 'Vn=En[VN(1+r)N−n]V_n = \mathbb{E}_n\left[\frac{V_N}{(1+r)^{N-n}}\right]'. The narrator says: 'its price at time little n is equal to the expected value at time n of the payoff at time big N discounted from N to n.'

Common misconceptions

  • Forgetting to discount the payoff before taking the expectation.
  • Using real-world probabilities instead of risk-neutral probabilities for the expectation.

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