Many contingent claims incorporate options on yield levels. I derive closed-form expressions for European yield-option prices using a general equilibrium model in which the underlying yield is the relevant state variable. The properties of these options differ markedly from those of conventional options on traded assets. For example, yield-call values can be less than their intrinsic value and can be decreasing functions of the underlying yield. These features have important hedging implications. I examine the empirical implications of the model using price data for the 13-week T-bill options traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence of time varying term premia in bond returns is frequently interpreted as evidence against the Expectations Hypothesis. This paper shows that the Expectations Hypothesis can actually imply time varying term premia if the time frame for which the Expectations Hypothesis holds differs from the return measurement period. Furthermore, many of the properties of these term premia are consistent with those of observed term premia. These results are important because they imply that the case against the Expectations Hypothesis is weaker than claimed in the empirical literature.

ABSTRACT Many common types of financial contracts incorporate options with extendible maturities. This paper derives closed‐form expressions for options that can be extended by the optionholder and presents a number of applications including the valuation of American options with stochastic dividends, junk bonds, and shared‐equity mortgages. We also derive closed‐form expressions for writer‐extendible options and discuss the writer's economic incentives for extending an out‐of‐the‐money option. We apply these results to show that corporate debtholders have a strong incentive to extend the maturity of defaulting debt if there are liquidation costs. We model and solve the debtholders' optimal extension problem and show that the possibility of an extension can induce shareholders in highly levered firms to accept negative NPV projects.

Empirical evidence of time varying term premia in bond returns is frequently interpreted as evidence against the Expectations Hypothesis. This paper shows that the Expectations Hypothesis can actually imply time varying term premia if the time frame for which the Expectations Hypothesis holds differs from the return measurement period. Furthermore, many of the properties of these term premia are consistent with those of observed term premia. These results are important because they imply that the case against the Expectations Hypothesis is weaker than claimed in the empirical literature.

Empirical evidence of time varying term premia in bond returns is frequently interpreted as evidence against the expectations hypothesis. This paper shows that the expectations hypothesis can actually imply time varying term premia if the time frame for which the expectations hypothesis holds differs from the return measurement period. Furthermore, many of the properties of these term premia are consistent with those of observed term premia. These results are important because they imply that the case against the expectations hypothesis is weaker than claimed in the empirical literature.

Many common types of financial contracts incorporates options with extendible maturities. This paper derives closed-form expressions for options that can be extended by the optionholder and presents a number of applications including the valuation of American options with stochastic dividends, junk bonds, and shared-equity mortgages. We also derive closed-form expressions for writer-extendible options and discuss the writer's economic incentives for extending an out-of-the-money option. We apply these results to show that corporate debtholders have a strong incentive to extend the maturity of defaulting debt if there are liquidation costs. We model and solve the debtholders' optimal extension problem and show that the possibility of an extension can induce shareholders in highly levered firms to accept negative NPV projects.

Many common types of financial contracts incorporate options with extendible maturities. This paper derives closed-form expressions for options that can be extended by the optionholder and presents a number of applications including the valuation of American options with stochastic dividends, junk bonds, and shared-equity mortgages. We also derive closed-form expressions for writer-extendible options and discuss the writer's economic incentives for extending an out-of-the-money option. We apply these results to show that corporate debtholders have a strong incentive to extend the maturity of defaulting debt if there are liquidation costs. We model and solve the debtholders' optimal extension problem and show that the possibility of an extension can induce shareholders in highly levered firms to accept negative NPV projects.