Abstract. In the present paper we provide an analytical solution for pricing discrete barrier options in the Black-Scholes framework. We reduce the valuation problem to a Wiener-Hopf equation that can be solved analytically. We are able to give explicit expressions for the Greeks of the contract. The results from our formulae are compared with those from other numerical methods available in the literature. Very good agreement is obtained, although evaluation using the present method is substantially quicker than the alternative methods presented.

In this paper we offer a systematic survey and comparison of the Esscher martingale transform for linear processes, the Esscher martingale trasnform for exponential processes, and the minimal entropy martingale measure for exponential Lévy models and present some new results in order to give a complete characterization of those classes of measures. We illustrate the results with several concrete examples in detail

a b s t r a c tWe consider the problem of pricing American options in the framework of a well-known stochastic volatility model with jumps, the Bates model. According to this model the asset price is described by a jump-diffusion stochastic differential equation in which the jump term consists of a Lévy process of compound Poisson type, while the volatility is modeled as a CIR-type process correlated with the asset price. Pricing American options under the Bates model requires us to solve a partial integro-differential equation with the final condition and boundary conditions prescribed on a free boundary. In this paper a numerical method for solving such a problem is proposed. In particular, first of all, using a Richardson extrapolation technique, the problem is reduced to a problem with fixed boundary. Then the problem obtained is solved using an ad hoc finite element method which efficiently combines an implicit/explicit time stepping, an operator splitting technique, and a nonuniform mesh of right-angled triangles. Numerical experiments are presented showing that the option pricing algorithm developed in this paper is extremely accurate and fast. In particular it is significantly more efficient than other numerical methods that have recently been proposed for pricing American options under the Bates model.

We propose and investigate a market model for power prices, including most basic features exhibited by previous models and taking into account self-exciting properties. The model proposed extends Hawkes-type models by introducing a two-fold integral representation property. A Random Field approach was already exploited by Barndorff-Nielsen et al., who adopted the Ambit Field framework for describing the power price dynamics. The novelty contained in our approach consists in combining the basic features of both Branching Processes and Random Fields in order to get a realistic and parsimonious model setting. We shall provide some closed-form evaluation formulae for forward contracts. We discuss the risk premium behavior, by pointing out that in the present framework, a very realistic description arises. We outline a possible methodology for parameters estimation. We illustrate by graphical representation the main achievements of this approach.

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