Local volatility 2026-10-06
A local volatility model uses a deterministic function of current time and spot as its diffusion volatility, . It can reproduce a surface of European call option prices through the Dupire equation.
Local volatility recovery from call prices 2026-10-06
Where , rearranging the Dupire equation gives . The strike curvature represents discounted density, while the adjusted maturity derivative gives the local diffusion contribution.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 40 6 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Differentiating the European call option price in strike gives, for ,The strike derivative uses dominated convergence; the second uses the continuous density. Also,Differentiate the supplied time-integral identity and the discount factor. Continuity of the density supplies the diffusion-term derivative. For the tail first moment, continuity in time follows from continuous stock paths, locally uniformly bounded second moments, and the absence of an atom at . ThereforeHence the Dupire equation isIts initial condition is ; natural strike boundaries are and as . These are consistent with the discounted stock martingale and integrable tails. Where , the same identity gives local volatility recovery from call prices:The equation evolves in maturity and strike, unlike the backward option-value equation in calendar time and spot.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 40 6 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Brownian martingale representation theorem argument in part (a) also replicates the bounded put payoff. The discounted stock is a true martingale, so the elementary terminal payoff identity yields put-call paritySet . Then , , and . ThusLinearity of the Dupire equation and giveThe initial payoff is , and . Therefore calls and puts obey the same maturity-strike differential equation, with their respective initial and boundary data.