Description: This paper shows that the Esscher transform is also an efficient technique for valuing derivative securities if the logarithms of the prices of the primitive securities are governed by certain stochastic processes with stationary and independent increments. Two applications are presented, the first for valuing a European call option and the second for pricing derivative securities of multiple risky assets.

Description: One of the most important problems in Finance is the valuation of financial securities written on underlying assets whose prices are subject to uncertainty. This paper presents a technique to estimate the unknown stochastic volatilities by solving the inverse problem associated with the parabolic partial differential equation governing risk neutral derivative security prices. This technique can be applied in a very general multi-factor setting and numerical examples are provided.

Description: This session from the 2003 SOA Orlando Meeting covers credit derivatives and how they have evolved, credit-default swaps CDSs, the advantages and disadvantages of credit derivatives and the regulatory overview. From the Society of Actuaries Record, Volume 29, No. 3.

Description: This session at the SOA 1990 Hartford Spring Meeting presents an overview of foreign currency swaps, participants and growth in the market. Case studies are discussed.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting examines the use of derivatives to help optimize the inurance company portfolios and using pension theory in developing optimized portfolios in an insurance company environment. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No.4b.

Description: This paper examines the pricing of catastrophe risk bonds. Catastrophe risk cannot be hedged by traditional securities. Therefore the pricing of catastrophe risk bonds requires an incomplete markets setting and this creates special difficulties in the pricing methodology. The paper briefly discusses the theory of equilibrium pricing and its relationship to the standard arbitrage-free valuation framework. Equilibrium pricing theory is used to develop a pricing method based on a model of the term structure of interest rates and a probability structure for the catastrophe risk. This pricing methodology can be used to assess the default spread on catastrophe risk bonds relative to traditional defaultable securities.

Description: 1993 SOA Meeting, Quebec. This session discussion is an introduction to derivative products. Topics included: 1. Definition and basic description of instruments. 2. General pricing concepts. 3. Applications for life insurance company portfolios.

Description: In this session from the 2005 SOA New Orleans Meeting, panelists discuss the ever-growing range of credit-derivative instruments that are becoming available including credit default swaps - CDSs, replicated synthetic asset transaction - RSAT and synthetic collateral debt obligations - CDOs. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 31, No. 1.

Description: This paper presents an algorithm for valuing American options in a path simulation model. It demonstrates the accuracy by an example involving a put option on a non-dividend-paying stock for which the exact premium could be determined. It shows how the use of simulation models can be useful in valuing a broker-dealer's derivative book and analyzing the asset-liability condition of financial intermediaries.

Description: 1994 SOA Spring Meeting, Orlando. In this session the speaker provided an overview of derivatives including: 1. Definition. 2. Uses. 3. Types of risks - market, credit, legal, and systems. 4. Risk management. 5. US regulatory guidelines and developments.