Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-43/3/i/solution

Assume positive deterministic initial stock prices and finite, positive terminal variances, as required to define the correlation coefficient. The explicit stochastic-exponential solutions with constant volatilities give
The common, possibly random, accumulated interest rate cancels. If , this ratio is a positive constant, so the prices are perfectly correlated.
Conversely, perfect correlation would give almost surely for constants . If , the displayed ratio is a nonconstant variable with a lognormal distribution with full support . If , the ratio would always exceed , and if it would always be below , both impossible. If , the ratio would be constant, also impossible. Therefore , whenever the stated terminal variances exist and are positive. No deterministic-interest assumption is needed. Degenerate terminal prices, for example zero volatilities and deterministic rates, have undefined correlation and must be excluded.

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