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In the Black-Scholes model, a digital call option and digital put option with remaining maturity $\tau$ have valueswhere $d_{-}$ is defined in the Black-Scholes formula. For $t<T$, the digital-call delta hedge is

A digital call option that pays its terminal indicator only if a lower barrier was avoided. When its strike equals the lower barrier, survival already implies the terminal indicator is one. It is then a no-touch option, with alive price $C_d(s,t;B)-(s/B{)}^{1-2r/{\sigma }^2}{C}_d(B^2/s,t;B)$ in the dividend-free Black-Scholes model.

Let $M_t={\sup }_{s\le t}{W}_s$ and write ${\varphi }_t(y)=(2\pi t{)}^{-1/2}{e}^{-y^2/(2t)}$ for the Brownian terminal density. By the Brownian reflection principle, for $y<a$ the reflected paths that hit $a$ and end at $y$ have terminal density ${\varphi }_t(2a-y)$. HenceThe Girsanov theorem changes zero drift into drift $\nu$ using the finite-horizon density $e^{\nu W_t-{\nu }^{2}t/2}$. The finite-horizon maximum of Brownian motion with drift therefore has distribution functionIn the first integral term, complete the square to get a normal density with mean $\nu t$. In the second, substitute $z=2a-y$ and complete the square with mean $-\nu t$; the prefactor is $e^{2a\nu }$. Here $\Phi$ is the standard normal distribution function, $a>0$ and $t>0$.

Let $T_{a,b}=\inf \{s\ge 0:W_s=a+bs\}$, with $b$ real. Survival means that $W_s-bs$ stays below $a$. Tilt by $e^{\theta W_t-{\theta }^{2}t/2}$; under the tilted probability, $W_s$ has drift $\theta$. Applying the maximum formula with drift $\theta -b$ gives the exponential terminal moment below a linear Brownian boundaryThis holds for every real $\theta$. The maximum distribution has no atom at the positive barrier, so strict or weak survival inequalities give the same probability here.

For the hitting-time moment, first use drift $-b$ in the maximum formula and take the complementary probability:If $z_1=(-a-bt)/\sqrt{t}$ and $z_2=(-a+bt)/\sqrt{t}$, their standard normal densities satisfy $\varphi (z_1)=e^{-2ab}\varphi (z_2)$. Differentiating the two terms, with $z_1^{\prime }=(a-bt)/(2t^{3/2})$ and $z_2^{\prime }=(a+bt)/(2t^{3/2})$, yields the drifted Brownian first-passage densityIts total mass need not be one, because the upward-sloping boundary may never be reached.

For $2\theta \le b^2$, put $\kappa =\sqrt{b^2-2\theta }\ge 0$. Multiplication by $e^{\theta s}$ gives $e^{\theta s}{f}_b(s)=e^{a(\kappa -b)}{f}_{\kappa }(s)$. Integrating to $t$ produces truncated discounted Brownian first passage, with negative discount rate allowed when the square root remains real:This includes the equality case $\kappa =0$, where it becomes $2e^{-ab}\Phi (-a/\sqrt{t})$. The expression integrates only finite hitting times up to $t$; no value is assigned to an exponential at an infinite hitting time.

For the cash-at-hit digital call, use the risk-neutral measure in the Black-Scholes model and denote expiry by $T=t_0$. ThenHitting $c>S_0$ corresponds to $W_s^Q=a+bs$, where $a=\log (c/S_0)/\sigma >0$ and $b=({\sigma }^2/2-\rho )/\sigma$. The unit-cash payment is made at the hitting time, so risk-neutral valuation discounts at that time, not at expiry. Set $\theta =-\rho$ andThe identity on the right verifies the square-root condition even for negative interest rates. The time-zero price isThis is in pounds for the unit-pound contract. It differs from a maturity-paid digital call option, whose discounting and exercise event are different.

For $0\le t<T$, set $\tau =T-t$ andUnder the equivalent martingale measure, conditional log-normality givesThe risk-neutral pricing value of the digital call option is consequentlyAt $t=T$ this converges to the stated payoff away from $S_T=K$, with the payoff convention specifying the boundary value.

The delta hedge holds the derivative of the claim value with respect to the current stock price. Sincethe number of risky-asset units for $t<T$ isThis is the Black-Scholes digital option formula. The hedge becomes singular close to maturity near the strike, reflecting the discontinuity of the payoff.

The digital call option and digital put option indicators partition the possible terminal stock prices:Thus the digital put-call parity isAt time zero, part b gives $D_{\mathrm{call}}(0,S_0)=e^{-rT}\Phi (d_{-})$, so