Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Impact on option prices of divergent consumer c...

Electronic data

View graph of relations

Impact on option prices of divergent consumer confidence

Research output: Working paper

Published
Publication date2002
Place of PublicationLancaster University
PublisherThe Department of Accounting and Finance
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Publication series

NameAccounting and Finance Working Paper Series

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact on option prices of divergent consumer confidence. To model this, we assume that consumers disagree on the expected growth rate of aggregate consumption. With other conditions unchanged in the discrete-time Black-Scholes option-pricing model, we show that the representative consumer will have declining relative risk aversion instead of the assumed constant relative risk aversion. In this case all options will be underpriced by the Black-Scholes model under the assumption of bivariate lognormality. We also extend Benninga and Mayshars (2000) results about impact on option prices of heterogeneous beliefs and preferences to an N-agent economy.