← Search

Journal of Finance Vol. 73 No. 2 2018

Option Mispricing around Nontrading Periods

Christopher S. Jones1,2; Joshua Shemesh3

1 University of Southern California · 2 California Southern University · 3 Hope University

Abstract

We find that option returns are significantly lower over nontrading periods, the vast majority of which are weekends. Our evidence suggests that nontrading returns cannot be explained by risk, but rather are the result of widespread and highly persistent option mispricing driven by the incorrect treatment of stock return variance during periods of market closure. The size of the effect implies that the broad spectrum of finance research involving option prices should account for nontrading effects. Our study further suggests how alternative industry practices could improve the efficiency of option markets in a meaningful way.

DOI
10.1111/jofi.12603
Volume
73
Issue
2
Pages
861-900
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

Cite