Explaining the level of credit spreads: option-implied jump risk premia in a firm value model

Martijn Cremers, Joost Driessen (), Pascal Maenhout and David Weinbaum
Additional contact information
Martijn Cremers: Yale School of Management
Pascal Maenhout: INSEAD - Finance
David Weinbaum: Cornell University - Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

No 191, BIS Working Papers from Bank for International Settlements

Abstract: Prices of equity index put options contain information on the price of systematic downward jump risk. We use a structural jump-diffusion firm value model to assess the level of credit spreads that is generated by option-implied jump risk premia. In our compound option pricing model, an equity index option is an option on a portfolio of call options on the underlying firm values. We calibrate the model parameters to historical information on default risk, the equity premium and equity return distribution, and S&P 500 index option prices. Our results show that a model without jumps fails to fit the equity return distribution and option prices, and generates a low out-of-sample prediction for credit spreads. Adding jumps and jump risk premia improves the fit of the model in terms of equity and option characteristics considerably and brings predicted credit spread levels much closer to observed levels.

Keywords: credit spreads; firm value model; jump-diffusion model; option pricing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G12 G13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2005-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Explaining the Level of Credit Spreads: Option-Implied Jump Risk Premia in a Firm Value Model (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bis:biswps:191

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