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Changing Numéraires for Currency-Converted Option Payoffs

Article Quant Q&A · Author: Toby1729

Summary

The document derives the pricing relationship for a EUR-denominated option whose payoff is converted into COP. It applies the change-of-numéraire formula to the COP and EUR money-market accounts, accounting for the exchange rate that converts one EUR into COP. The Radon–Nikodym derivative between the corresponding risk-neutral measures is expressed using the two currencies’ discount factors and the exchange rates at the valuation and payoff dates.

Substituting this measure change into the COP valuation shows an equivalent procedure: convert the EUR payoff to COP at maturity and discount in COP, or discount the payoff in EUR and convert the value into COP at the valuation date. The derivation depends on the stated numéraire and exchange-rate convention, as well as consistent discount-factor definitions. It presents the pricing identity but does not specify interest-rate or FX dynamics, calibration inputs, or a model for valuing the option itself.

Key ideas

  • The change-of-numéraire formula relates risk-neutral measures associated with different money-market accounts.
  • For a EUR payoff valued in COP, the measure-change factor depends on both currencies’ discount factors and the exchange rates at the two dates.
  • Converting the payoff at maturity and discounting in COP is equivalent to discounting in EUR and converting at valuation.
  • The exchange-rate quote convention and numéraire definitions must be kept consistent.

Tags

Full text
# Change of numeraire in options with currency exchange features


# Change of numeraire in options with currency exchange features












FV of an EUR denominated option under "COP" risk measure is given by: $$V_t^{COP} = D^{COP} \mathbb{E}_t^{COP} \left[X_T(S_T -K)^+\right]$$ where $X_T$ is the exchange rate COP/EUR.

Pricing the option in EUR risk neutral measure mandates us to write the RHS above as (Girsanov's theorm): $$D^{COP} \mathbb{E}_t^{EUR}\left [\frac{d\mathbb{Q}^{COP}}{d\mathbb{Q}^{EUR}}|_t X_T (S_T-K)^+\right]$$ Where$\frac{d\mathbb{Q}^{COP}}{d\mathbb{Q}^{EUR}}|_t$ is the Radon Nikodym derivative.

How can we argue or derive that Radon Nikodym derivative in our case is given by: $\frac{d\mathbb{Q}^{COP}}{d\mathbb{Q}^{EUR}} |_t = \frac{X_t D^{EUR}}{X_T D^{COP}} $?

## Answer by byouness (score 2, accepted)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/40387

#### Notations

- $S_T$ and $K$ are expressed in EUR;

- $D^{CCY}(t,T) = \frac{\beta^{CCY}_t}{\beta^{CCY}_T}$ where $\beta^{CCY}$ is the money market account in currency $CCY$). In other words, it is the (stochastic) discount factor from $t$ to $T$ in the currency $CCY$;

- $X_t$ is the value of 1 EUR in COP.

#### Answer

The expression of the Radon-Nikodym derivative follows from the numéraire change formula. If $N$ and $M$ are two numéraires with corresponding measures $\mathbb{Q}^N$ and $\mathbb{Q}^M$, then:

$$\frac{d\mathbb{Q}^{N}}{d\mathbb{Q}^{M}}|_t = \frac{N_T}{M_T} \frac{M_t}{N_t}$$

Here, $N_t = \beta^{COP}_t$, while $M_t = \beta^{EUR}_t X_t$.

It follows that:

$$\frac{d\mathbb{Q}^{COP}}{d\mathbb{Q}^{EUR}}|_t = \frac{\beta^{EUR}_t X_t}{\beta^{EUR}_T X_T} \frac{\beta^{COP}_T}{\beta^{COP}_t} = \frac{D^{EUR}(t,T)}{D^{COP}(t,T)} \frac{X_t}{X_T}$$

Leading to the following expression for the option price in COP:

$$\begin{aligned} V_t^{COP} & = \mathbb{E}^{COP}_t \left[ D^{COP}(t,T) X_T (S_T - K)^+ \right] \\ & = X_t \mathbb{E}^{EUR}_t \left[ D^{EUR}(t,T) (S_T - K)^+ \right] \end{aligned}$$

Pratically speaking, what this expresses is that these two things are the same:

- Converting the payoff (which is in EUR) to COP at $T$ and then discounting in COP from $T$ to $t$;

- Discounting the payoff from $T$ to $t$ in EUR and then converting the discounted value at $t$ from EUR to COP.

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Stack Exchange)

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.