Write and . The European power put formula isHere has a lognormal distribution. Since is decreasing and is a convex function, its discounted expected value is also decreasing and convex as a function of . For it is smooth and strictly positive: the normal distribution assigns positive probability to whatever the current positive spot price. Its endpoints areThe dominated convergence theorem justifies the second limit, because . For a quantitative sketch, the binomial theorem and truncated lognormal moment givewhere is the standard normal distribution function. This finite sum is useful for drawing the curve; its positive expectation form makes its qualitative shape clearer.
The solid curves use , , and ; the dashed curves show their terminal financial payoffs for comparison. Each price remains positive at and tends smoothly towards zero beyond it. At small , discounting gives a price below the undiscounted financial payoff; European exercise is permitted only at expiry.
Truncated lognormal moment Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-25
If with , and having the standard normal distribution, then for every real ,Here is the standard normal distribution function. Multiplying the normal distribution density by and completing the square shifts its mean by and supplies the factor ; this is a Gaussian exponential tilt. Integrating above or below the shifted threshold proves both formulas. They apply to noninteger and negative powers, including the inverse-price moment . The lower-tail formula gives the European power put formula after a binomial theorem expansion.
