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Conditional GBM Probabilities for Stochastic Mesh Weights

Article Quant Q&A · Author: nmunozsi

Summary

This document explains how to calculate the probability that a geometric Brownian motion (GBM) price will fall inside a specified interval at the next time step, given its current value. This conditional probability is used in the stochastic mesh method to form weights for estimating continuation values. Under the risk-neutral measure, the Black–Scholes model makes the next price conditionally lognormally distributed. Taking logarithms converts the interval event into a range for a standard normal variable, so the probability is the difference between normal cumulative distribution values at the transformed interval endpoints.

The discussion also gives the GBM transition equation derived from the Black–Scholes stochastic differential equation. The result depends on the drift, volatility, and time increment, and assumes positive interval endpoints and positive current price. A second answer sketches the Brownian transition density and logarithmic transformation, but its final probability expression concerns conditioning on an inequality rather than a known price. The notes therefore provide the needed interval formula for the stated GBM setup, while leaving choices such as interval construction and numerical implementation to the reader.

Key ideas

  • GBM prices have a lognormal conditional distribution under the Black–Scholes model.
  • Taking logarithms transforms a future price interval into a standard normal interval.
  • The probability of landing in that interval is a difference of normal cumulative probabilities.
  • The stochastic mesh method uses these transition probabilities to construct continuation value weights.

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Full text
# Conditional probability of geometric brownian motion


# Conditional probability of geometric brownian motion












I created paths using GBM to implement The stochastic mesh method. But the method requires the conditional distribution, given some S(t) the probability of S(t+1).

I've searched and can't find this formula, Does someone know it? Is there any other way to calculate the conditional probability?

UPDATE

Let me explain a little better, I'm working on the stochastic mesh method The method require I create N paths over M steps of time. I choose GBM to do this, so in a single path simulation I have

$$ S = S_{0}, S_{1}, ... ,S_{M} $$

Next I need to calculate the continuation value for wich I need Weights

$$ w_{ij} = p_{ij} / \sum_k p_{kj} $$ $$ p_{ij} = P (S_{t + \bigtriangleup t} \in A \mid S{t} = x) $$ The last is the formula I'm looking for the GBM

## Answer by Quantuple (score 1, accepted)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/26283

Applying Itô's lemma to the Black-Scholes SDE and integrating from $t$ to $t+\Delta t$ gives: $$ S_{t+\Delta t} = S_t e^{(r-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2)\Delta t + \sigma \sqrt{\Delta t}Z} $$ with $Z \sim N(0,1)$, showing that $S_{t+\Delta t}$ given $S_t$ is log-normally distributed.

It is then straightforward to write, for any compact $\mathcal{A} = [a_1,a_2]$ with $0 < a_1 \leq a_2$ and under the risk-netral measure $\mathbb{Q}$

\begin{align} \mathbb{Q}\left(S_{t+\Delta t} \in \mathcal{A} \vert S_t = x\right) &= \mathbb{Q}\left( x e^{ (r-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2)\Delta t + \sigma \sqrt{\Delta t}Z} \in [a_1, a_2] \right) \\ &= \mathbb{Q} \left( \ln(x) + (r-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2)\Delta t + \sigma \sqrt{\Delta t}Z \in [\ln(a_1), \ln(a_2)] \right) \\ &= \mathbb{Q} \left( Z \in [a_1^*, a_2^*] \right) \\ &= \Phi(a_2^*) - \Phi(a_1^*) \end{align} where we have used the fact that the natural logarithm is a monotone increasing bijective function and defined $$\Phi(x) = \text{Pr}(X \leq x), X \sim N(0,1)$$ to be the normal cumulative distribution function along with $$ a_i^* = \frac{ \ln\left(\frac{x}{a_i}\right) + \left(r - \frac{1}{2}\sigma^2\right)\Delta t }{\sigma\sqrt{\Delta t}} $$

## Answer by user16651 (score 1)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/26278

- Note that $${{f}_{W(t)\left| W(s) \right.}}\left(x\left| y \right. \right)=\frac{{{f}_{ W(s),W(t)}}\left( x,y \right)}{{{f}_{ W(s)}}\left( y \right)}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi(t-s)}}\exp \left[-\frac{{{(x-y)}^{2}}}{2(t-s)} \right]$$

- By application of Ito's lemma we have $$ln\,S_{t+\Delta t}=ln\,S_t+\left((\mu-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2)\Delta t+\sigma(W_{t+\Delta t}-W_t)\Delta t\right)$$ Indeed $ln\,S_{t}$ has a Normal distribution. $$$$

- $P(S_{t+\Delta t}<x|S_{t}<y)$=$P(ln\,S_{t+\Delta t}<ln\,x|ln\,S_{t}<ln\,y)$

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