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Option Pricing with Time-Varying Volatility Risk Aversion

Peter Reinhard Hansen, Chen Tong

arXiv 14 Apr 2022 · q-fin.PR · publishedReview of Financial Studies (2025) · 6 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:2204.06943 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

We introduce a pricing kernel with time-varying volatility risk aversion to explain observed time variations in the shape of the pricing kernel. When combined with the Heston-Nandi GARCH model, this framework yields a tractable option pricing model in which the variance risk ratio (VRR) emerges as a key variable. We show that the VRR is closely linked to economic fundamentals, as well as sentiment and uncertainty measures. A novel approximation method provides analytical option pricing formulas, and we demonstrate substantial reductions in pricing errors through an empirical application to the S&P 500 index, the CBOE VIX, and option prices.

Citation extraction

71
references
126
in-text mentions
71
distinct cited
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main-text words

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Christoffersen, P., Heston, S. L., and Jacobs, K (2013) Capturing option anomalies with a variance-dependent pricing kernel1.000225100%
2Heston, S. L. and Nandi, S (2000) A closed-form GARCH option valuation model0.96911491%
3Bollerslev, T., Li, J., and Xue, Y (2018) Volume, volatility, and public news announcements0.73732100%
4Carr, P. and Wu, L (2008) Variance Risk Premiums0.73732100%
5Creal, D., Koopman, S. J., and Lucas, A (2013) Generalized autoregressive score models with applications0.73732100%
6Grith, M., Härdle, W. K., and Krätschmer, V (2017) Reference-dependent preferences and the empirical pricing kernel puzzle0.73732100%
7Welch, I. and Goyal, A (2007) A comprehensive look at the empirical performance of equity premium prediction0.64441100%
8Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., and Davis, S. J (2016) Measuring economic policy uncertainty0.64422100%
9Campbell, J. Y. and Cochrane, J. H (1999) By force of habit: A consumption-based explanation of aggregate stock market behavior0.64422100%
10Christoffersen, P., Feunou, B., Jacobs, K., and Meddahi, N (2014) The economic value of realized volatility: Using high-frequency returns for option valuation0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 71 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1Option Pricing with State-dependent Pricing Kernel0.40511