Static replication on a finite terminal support Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-11-05
Suppose the terminal stock price has support . For adjacent support points define the normalized call spread payoff
At a support point , it equals zero for and one for . Consequently any specified terminal payoff values satisfy
The sum telescopes. Cash paying at maturity plus the displayed call spreads gives a static replicating strategy; the cash cost is discounted to today. With and payoffs , use cash paying two, plus three units of minus four units of .
The identity is required only on the stated support. It replicates every function of , while a path-dependent contingent claim can distinguish histories with the same terminal price. Thus this spanning statement alone does not establish completeness for all history-dependent claims. The call-spread construction is the finite-support counterpart of strike-curvature recovery.[ref]