For the bounded rate diffusion of linear bond pricing in a bounded short-rate diffusion, is a bounded martingale with terminal value . Dividing its conditional expectation by through the Bayes formula for conditional expectation gives the displayed forward-measure expectation. It lies between zero and one.
For bounded predictable on , the stochastic exponential is a positive martingale by the Novikov condition. Under , the Bayes formula for conditional expectation givesIndeed, the square-root stock ratio is . This exact identity gives the bounds on square-root stock implied volatility by bounding integrated variance pathwise. The Girsanov theorem gives . The measure is an auxiliary pricing identity for this payoff, not a claim that it is an equivalent martingale measure for the original stock.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 30 5 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Denote the density process by . The given identities for all implyThus is a strictly positive true martingale, not merely a local martingale. The Itô formula gives , and henceFirst work with the zero-starting corrected increments . Integration by parts givesThe finite-variation bracket has zero quadratic covariation with , so no other term appears. Thus is a P-local martingale.
To justify the change of measure, stop at , with optional further localization if needed. The product remains a P-local martingale: before the stopping time the cancellation above applies, and afterwards only its bounded constant factor multiplies . Its absolute value is bounded by . On a finite horizon the stopped values of are uniformly integrable, so Q1(c) upgrades this product to a true martingale. The Bayes formula for conditional expectation now givesFinite-horizon equivalence of the measures transfers the localizing sequence to Q. Therefore is a continuous Q-local martingale. If , adding its constant-in-time process provesThis proves the Girsanov theorem assertion under the usual zero or deterministic initial-value convention. More generally the normalization makes , so P and Q agree on and the required initial integrability is automatic.
There is a literal initial-integrability qualification if neither convention is imposed. On positive integers let , , with , and let every filtration equal the full sigma-algebra. Constant processes and are P-martingales, and is precisely the prescribed density. But and , so the asserted Q-local martingale cannot have an integrable initial value. This is why initial integrability under a density change is part of the precise formulation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 34 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A useful finite-horizon form of the Girsanov theorem is as follows. Let be a Brownian motion and an adapted, progressively measurable process with almost surely. Suppose its stochastic exponentialis a true martingale with mean one. The Novikov condition is a sufficient condition. Under the equivalent probability measure , the process is a Brownian motion.
For the proof sketch, the Itô formula gives . Integration by parts cancels the drift in , since from cancels . After localization, the Bayes formula for conditional expectation makes a continuous local martingale under . Its quadratic variation is still , because adding a finite-variation process does not change quadratic variation. One can see the Brownian conclusion directly: for real , the Itô formula makes a local martingale. Its modulus is bounded on the fixed horizon, so it is a true martingale. ThusThis is the conditional characteristic function of a centered normal distribution with variance , independent of the past. Continuity and these independent normal increments give the defining properties of Brownian motion.
Now put and , the standard normal distribution function. At zero drift the endpoint density of paths staying below isIndeed, reflect the portion of a path after its first hitting time of . By continuity and the independent symmetric Brownian motion increments after this stopping time, reflection preserves its probability law and maps a crossing path ending at to a path ending at . This subtracts exactly from the unrestricted endpoint density; it is the Brownian reflection principle.
Taking the constant drift tilt in the Girsanov theorem makes under have the same law as under . Therefore the desired finite-horizon maximum of Brownian motion with drift has probabilityCompleting squares gives and . HenceThe maximum has no atom at a positive level, so strict and weak barrier inequalities agree. This also follows from continuity of the displayed distribution function. At the formula reduces to .
For the up-and-out power claim, write and use the risk-neutral measure for the Black-Scholes model, under whichwith . The barrier survives exactly when . Its risk-neutral pricing value isThe factor inside the expectation is a mean-one Exponential martingale for Brownian motion. Under the probability tilted by it, is a Brownian motion, so the barrier process has drift . Applying the preceding survival formula yieldsAs , the bracket tends to one and the price becomes the discounted second moment . As , it tends to zero. If , use the deterministic path instead: the price is when , and zero otherwise. At , with , the price is simply .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 39 2 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Fix the horizon and define the half-volatility measure for a square-root stock claim byThe Novikov condition makes a true martingale with , and makes equivalent to . The Girsanov theorem identifies as a Brownian motion under .
The exact factorization from the previous part isUsing the Bayes formula for conditional expectation therefore givesThe random integrated variance need not have any independence property under . Its pathwise bounds still imply . Inverting the same price function proves even for volatility adapted to the Brownian motion, on the positive-price event. The zero-price convention is as above. The auxiliary measure here is not asserted to be an equivalent martingale measure for the stock.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 39 5 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Construct the strictly positive rolling one-period bond account using successive one-period zero-coupon bonds:At time , invest the entire account value in the bond maturing at . This gives a positive self-financing portfolio usable as a numéraire.
We use the finite-discrete-time fundamental theorem of asset pricing: in a frictionless market with finitely many adapted assets and trading dates, no arbitrage is equivalent to existence of an equivalent martingale measure for asset prices, including dividends, expressed in a positive traded numéraire. Maturing bond payoffs are reinvested in that numéraire. Let be such a measure and its positive density process. The martingale pricing relation for a unit zero-coupon bond isDefine . The Bayes formula for conditional expectation then givesThe positive expectations are finite because these are the traded finite bond prices; in particular when initial information is trivial. Normalize without changing any ratio. With nontrivial initial information the same identities are conditional on that information. The state-price density need not be unique when the bond market is incomplete; existence is sufficient.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 27 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Since the density martingale is uniformly integrable, . Equivalence of measures, as stipulated, means almost surely. Write for the stochastic logarithm. The Itô formula gives , and hence the quadratic covariation in the drift correction isIt involves the local-martingale part of ; its continuous finite-variation part has zero covariation.
With , the Itô product rule now gives an exact cancellation:Thus is a P-local martingale. To transfer this conclusion rigorously, set . The same computation for the stopped givesThis is again a P-local martingale. Moreover its absolute value is at most . Uniform integrability of makes the family over bounded stopping times uniformly integrable, so the product is a true martingale. This is the bounded-process density-product criterion.
The Bayes formula for conditional expectation therefore gives, for ,Continuity gives , proving is a Q-local martingale. This proves the needed Girsanov theorem rather than invoking it.
For the Brownian-filtration conclusion, use this precise Brownian martingale representation theorem: every continuous local martingale in the usual augmentation of the natural Brownian filtration is an Itô integral with a predictable integrand locally square integrable in time. In particularDefineOn each finite horizon a strictly positive continuous has a positive pathwise minimum. Thus almost surely, andThe already proved measure-change result makes a continuous Q-local martingale. Its quadratic variation is , unchanged by its finite-variation correction. The Lévy characterization of Brownian motion provesNo additional exponential-integrability condition is needed, since the equivalent uniformly integrable density process is already given.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 38 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The terminal density is strictly positive and has expectation one under the usual deterministic initial bond-price convention. Its density process isFor , the Bayes formula for conditional expectation under a change of measure givesThe same calculation at gives the finite expectation , so this is a true martingale, not just a formal conditional identity. Thus the continuous-time bank account measured in units of the maturity- bond is a -martingale. This is the forward measure change of numéraire. If the initial bond price were random rather than given, integrability of its reciprocal would need to be included for this true-martingale assertion.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 38 3 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the same affine drift cancellation with terminal conditions , . It gives , , soThe process is bounded, which justifies the conditional expectation identity. The Bayes formula for conditional expectation for the forward measure now givesThe denominator is positive; the ratio lies in and equals at maturity. This is the forward-measure terminal rate in a linear bond model.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 202 2 b Solution 2026-09-28
Since and is uniformly integrable, the continuous local martingale is locally in Doob's class and hence is a true martingale. For and , Bayes formula for conditional expectation givesThe bounded process is integrable under , so this is exactly the martingale property.