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Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 48 2014

Interest rate forecasts, state price densities and risk premium from Euribor options

Vesela Ivanova1; Josep Maria Puigvert Gutiérrez

1 European Central Bank

Abstract

In this paper we study option-implied interest rate forecasts and the development of risk premium and state prices in the Euribor futures option market. Using parametric and non-parametric statistical calibration, we transform the risk-neutral option implied densities for the Euribor futures rate into real-world densities. We investigate the period from the introduction of the Euro in 1999 until December 2012. The estimated densities are used to provide a measure for the interest rate risk premium and state prices implicit in the futures market. We find that the real-world option-implied distributions can be used to forecast the futures rate, while the forecasting ability of the risk-neutral distributions is rejected. The state price densities in the market show a U-shaped curve suggesting that investors price higher states with high and low rates compared to the expected spot rate. However, we show that, in general, state prices have a more pronounced right tail, implying that investors are more risk averse to increasing interest rates. We also document a negative market price of interest rate risk which generates positive premium for the futures contract.

DOI
10.1016/j.jbankfin.2014.03.028
Volume
48
Pages
210-223
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib

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