Skip to main content
Log in

Practical computing for finite moment log-stable distributions to model financial risk

  • Published:
Statistics and Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper concentrates on the stable distributions which have maximum skewness to the left. The exponentials of such stable distributions are called finite moment log-stable distributions. They have the property that all moments are finite, and are of interest in financial options pricing as an alternative to log-normal distributions. Computation of density and distribution functions has been made faster by using interpolation formulae in two variables and made less error-prone by using computational objects to represent the distributions and performing computational procedures on those objects. Some computations using finite moment log-stable distributions for options pricing are illustrated. The most important qualitative difference from the Black–Scholes log-normal model for options pricing is that the log-stable model suggests that dynamic hedging will reduce portfolio risk by a much smaller amount than is suggested by the log-normal model. This suggests that finite moment log-stable distributions could be used to provide conservative assessments of portfolio risk.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Black, F., Scholes, M.: The pricing of options and corporate liabilities. J. Polit. Econ. 81(3), 637–654 (1973)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, P., Wu, L.: The finite moment log-stable process and option pricing. J. Financ. Am. Financ. Assoc. 58(2), 753–778 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, J.M., Mallows, C.L., Stuck, B.W.: A method for simulating stable random variables. J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 71, 340–344 (1976)

  • Fama, E.F.: The behaviour of stock market prices. J. Bus. 38, 34–105 (1965)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feller, W.: An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, vol. 2. Wiley, New York (1966)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P.: A comedy of errors: the canonical form for a stable characteristic function. Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 13, 23–27 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, D.R., Crow, E.L.: Tables and graphs of the the stable probability density functions. J. Res. Natl. Bur. Stand. B Math. Sci. 77B, 143–197 (1973)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Hull, J.C.: Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 5th edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (2003)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Lèvy, P.: Calcul des Probabilités. Gauthier-Villars, Paris (1925)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Mandelbrot, B.: The variation of certain speculative prices. J. Bus. Univ. Chic. 36, 394–419 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolan, J.P.: Numerical calculation of stable densities and distribution functions. Commun. Stat. Stoch. Model. 13, 759–774 (1997)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Nolan, J.P.: Stable Distributions: Models for Heavy-Tailed Data. Birkhauser, Boston (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rachev, S.T., Kim, J.R., Mittnik, S.: Stable paretian models in econometrics: Part 1. Math. Sci. 24, 24–55 (1999)

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Samorodnitsky, G., Taqqu, M.S.: Stable Non-Gaussian Random Processes: Stochastic Models with Infinite Variance. Chapman & Hall, New York (1994)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Vollert, A.: Margrabe’s option to exchange in a paretian-stable subordinated market. Math. Comput. Model. 34, 1185–1197 (2001)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Zolotarev, V.M.: American Mathematical Society. Translations of Mathematical Monographs. One-Dimensional Stable Distributions. Providence, Rhode Island (1986). (The original Russian version was published in 1983.)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. K. Robinson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Robinson, G.K. Practical computing for finite moment log-stable distributions to model financial risk. Stat Comput 25, 1233–1246 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-014-9478-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-014-9478-9

Keywords

Navigation