Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2001/iii/paper-22/4/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 22 4 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Assume on positive prices before maturity and the usual local trading integrability. If its value is held in stock units and bank units , thenfor a self-financing portfolio. The Itô formula diffusion coefficient is , so forces and . Equating drifts yieldsThe physical drift cancels, giving the Black-Scholes equationConversely, if the smooth function satisfies this equation, set and . Substituting into Itô formula gives exactly , so these holdings are self-financing. This checks the holdings as well as the value equation; a partial differential equation solution does not justify arbitrary prescribed holdings. Appropriate admissibility and growth conditions are imposed when using it as an economic price.
For the logarithmic stock payoff, let and condition on . Under the risk-neutral measure,The normal exponential moment and its derivative giveThereforeThe option delta is the displayed stock holding. The bank account value is , so . Directly, and verify the partial differential equation, while verifies the payoff. Lognormal moments give the required pricing integrability. Since , the conditional price is bounded below over this finite horizon, so the resulting claim replication has the usual admissibility property.
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