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Binary option
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In finance, a binary option is a type of option where the payoff is either some fixed amount
of some asset or nothing at all. The two main types of binary options are the cash-or-nothing
binary option and the asset-or-nothing binary option. The cash-or-nothing binary option pays
some fixed amount of cash if the option expires in-the-money while the asset-or-nothing
pays the value of the underlying security. Thus, the options are binary in nature because
there are only two possible outcomes. They are also called all-or-nothing options, digital
options (more common in forex/interest rate markets), and Fixed Return Options (FROs) (on
the American Stock Exchange). Binary options are usually European-style options.
For example, a purchase is made of a binary cash-or-nothing call option on XYZ Corp's stock
struck at $100 with a binary payoff of $1000. Then, if at the future maturity date, the stock is
trading at or above $100, $1000 is received. If its stock is trading below $100, nothing is
received.
In the popular Black-Scholes model, the value of a digital option can be expressed in terms
of the cumulative normal distribution function.
Contents
Non exchange-traded binary options
Binary options contracts have long been available Over-the-counter (OTC), i.e. sold directly
by the issuer to the buyer. They were generally considered "exotic" instruments and there
was no liquid market for trading these instruments between their issuance and expiration.
They were often seen embedded in more complex option contracts.
Since mid-2008 binary options web-sites called binary option trading platforms have been
offering a simplified version of exchange-traded binary options. It is estimated that around
50 such platforms (including white label products) have been in operation as of January
2011, offering options on some 70 underlying assets.
[edit] Exchange-traded binary options
In 2007, the Options Clearing Corporation proposed a rule change to allow binary options,[1]
and the Securities and Exchange Commission approved listing cash-or-nothing binary
options in 2008.[2] In May 2008, the American Stock Exchange (Amex) launched exchange-
traded European cash-or-nothing binary options, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange
(CBOE) followed in June 2008. The standardization of binary options allows them to be
exchange-traded with continuous quotations.
Amex offers binary options on some ETFs and a few highly liquid equities such as Citigroup
and Google.[3] Amex calls binary options "Fixed Return Options"; calls are named "Finish
High" and puts are named "Finish Low". To reduce the threat of market manipulation of
single stocks, Amex FROs use a "settlement index" defined as a volume-weighted average
of trades on the expiration day.[4] The American Stock Exchange and Donato A. Montanaro
submitted a patent application for exchange-listed binary options using a volume-weighted
settlement index in 2005.[5]
CBOE offers binary options on the S&P 500 (SPX) and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX).[6] The
tickers for these are BSZ[7] and BVZ,[8] respectively. CBOE only offers calls, as binary put
options are trivial to create synthetically from binary call options. BSZ strikes are at 5-point
intervals and BVZ strikes are at 1-point intervals. The actual underlying to BSZ and BVZ are
based on the opening prices of index basket members.
Both Amex and CBOE listed options have values between $0 and $1, with a multiplier of 100,
and tick size of $0.01, and are cash settled.[6][9]
In 2009 Nadex, the North American Derivatives Exchange, launched and now offers a suite
of binary options vehicles.[10]. Nadex binary options are available on a range Stock Index
Futures, Spot Forex, Commodity Futures, and Economic Events.
[edit] Example of a Binary Options Trade
A trader who thinks that the EUR/USD strike price will close at or above 1.2500 at 3:00 p.m.
can buy a call option on that outcome. A trader who thinks that the EUR/USD strike price will
close at or below 1.2500 at 3:00 p.m. can buy a put option or sell the contract.
At 2:00 p.m. the EUR/USD spot price is 1.2490. the trader believes this will increase, so he
buys 10 call options for EUR/USD at or above 1.2500 at 3:00 p.m. at a cost of $40 each.
The risk involved in this trade is known. The trader’s gross profit/loss follows the ‘all or
nothing’ principle. He can lose all the money he invested, which in this case is $40 x 10 =
$400, or make a gross profit of $100 x 10 = $1000. If the EUR/USD strike price will close at or
above 1.2500 at 3:00 p.m. the trader's net profit will be the payoff at expiry minus the cost of
the option: $1000 - $400 = $600.
The trader can also choose to liquidate (buy or sell to close) his position prior to expiration,
at which point the option value is not guaranteed to be $100. The larger the gap between
the spot price and the strike price, the value of the option decreases, as the option is less
likely to expire in the money.
In this example, at 3:00 p.m. the spot has risen to 1.2505. The option has expired in the
money and the gross payoff is $1000. The trader's net profit is $600.
[edit] Black-Scholes Valuation
In the Black-Scholes model, the price of the option can be found by the formulas below.[11]
In these, S is the initial stock price, K denotes the strike price, T is the time to maturity, q is
the dividend rate, r is the risk-free interest rate and \sigma is the volatility. \Phi denotes the
cumulative distribution function of the normal distribution,
\Phi(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2 \pi}} \int_{-\infty}^x e^{-\frac{1}{2} z^2} dz.
and,
d_1 = \frac{\ln\frac{S}{K} + (r-q+\sigma^{2}/2)T}{\sigma\sqrt{T}},\,d_2 = d_1-\sigma\sqrt{T}. \,
[edit] Cash-or-nothing call
This pays out one unit of cash if the spot is above the strike at maturity. Its value now is
given by,
C = e^{-rT}\Phi(d_2). \,
[edit] Cash-or-nothing put
This pays out one unit of cash if the spot is below the strike at maturity. Its value now is
given by,
P = e^{-rT}\Phi(-d_2). \,
[edit] Asset-or-nothing call
This pays out one unit of asset if the spot is above the strike at maturity. Its value now is
given by,
C = Se^{-qT}\Phi(d_1). \,
[edit] Asset-or-nothing put
This pays out one unit of asset if the spot is below the strike at maturity. Its value now is
given by,
P = Se^{-qT}\Phi(-d_1). \,
[edit] Foreign exchange
Further information: Foreign exchange derivative
If we denote by S the FOR/DOM exchange rate (i.e. 1 unit of foreign currency is worth S units
of domestic currency) we can observe that paying out 1 unit of the domestic currency if the
spot at maturity is above or below the strike is exactly like a cash-or nothing call and put
respectively. Similarly, paying out 1 unit of the foreign currency if the spot at maturity is
above or below the strike is exactly like an asset-or nothing call and put respectively. Hence
if we now take r_{FOR} , the foreign interest rate, r_{DOM} , the domestic interest rate, and
the rest as above, we get the following results.
In case of a digital call (this is a call FOR/put DOM) paying out one unit of the domestic
currency we get as present value,
C = e^{-r_{DOM} T}\Phi(d_2) \,
In case of a digital put (this is a put FOR/call DOM) paying out one unit of the domestic
currency we get as present value,
P = e^{-r_{DOM}T}\Phi(-d_2) \,
While in case of a digital call (this is a call FOR/put DOM) paying out one unit of the foreign
currency we get as present value,
C = Se^{-r_{FOR} T}\Phi(d_1) \,
and in case of a digital put (this is a put FOR/call DOM) paying out one unit of the foreign
currency we get as present value,
P = Se^{-r_{FOR}T}\Phi(-d_1) \,
[edit] Skew
In the standard Black-Scholes model, one can interpret the premium of the binary option in
the risk-neutral world as the expected value = probability of being in-the-money * unit,
discounted to the present value.
To take volatility skew into account, a more sophisticated analysis based on call spreads
can be used.
A binary call option is, at long expirations, similar to a tight call spread using two vanilla
options. One can model the value of a binary cash-or-nothing option, C, at strike K, as an
infinitessimally tight spread, where C_v is a vanilla European call:[page needed],[12][13]
C = \lim_{\epsilon \to 0} \frac{C_v(K-\epsilon) - C_v(K)}{\epsilon}
Thus, the value of a binary call is the negative of the derivative of the price of a vanilla call
with respect to strike price:
C = -\frac{dC_v}{dK}
When one takes volatility skew into account, \sigma is a function of K:
C = -\frac{dC_v(K,\sigma(K))}{dK} = -\frac{\partial C_v}{\partial K} - \frac{\partial C_v}{\partial
\sigma} \frac{\partial \sigma}{\partial K}
The first term is equal to the premium of the binary option ignoring skew:
-\frac{\partial C_v}{\partial K} = -\frac{\partial (S\Phi(d_1) - Ke^{-rT}\Phi(d_2))}{\partial K} = e^{-
rT}\Phi(d_2) = C_{noskew}
\frac{\partial C_v}{\partial \sigma} is the Vega of the vanilla call; \frac{\partial \sigma}{\partial K}
is sometimes called the "skew slope" or just "skew". Skew is typically negative, so the value
of a binary call is higher when taking skew into account.
C = C_{noskew} - Vega_v * Skew
[edit] Relationship to vanilla options' Greeks
Since a binary call is a mathematical derivative of a vanilla call with respect to strike, the
price of a binary call has the same shape as the delta of a vanilla call, and the delta of a
binary call has the same shape as the gamma of a vanilla call.[14]
[edit] Interpretation of prices
In a prediction market, binary options are used to find out a population's best estimate of an
event occurring - for example, a price of 0.65 on a binary option triggered by the Democratic
candidate winning the next US Presidential election can be interpreted as an estimate of
65% likelihood of him winning.
In financial markets, expected returns on a stock or other instrument are already priced into
the stock. However, a binary options market provides other information. Just as the regular
options market reveals the market's estimate of variance (volatility), i.e. the second
moment, a binary options market reveals the market's estimate of skew, i.e. the third
moment.
In theory, a portfolio of binary options can also be used to synthetically recreate (or valuate)
any other option (analogous to integration), although in practical terms this is not possible
due to the lack of depth of the market for these relatively thinly traded securities.
In theory a portfolio of options can synthetically recreate any other financial instrument,
including conventional options.[14]
[edit] Structured Binary Options Strategies
It may come as a surprise to many interested in the options space that put options were not
introduced on the CBOE until 1977, nine years after call options were. The binary options
market at present is in the same 'no-mans-land' where there is a vibrant FX binary options
market with sophisticated binary options strategies, while at the other extreme there are a
plethora of platforms offering one-hour bets dressing themselves up as 'investments'.
But the binary options market too has its range of straddles, strangles, call spreads,
butterflies, condors etc.. which as yet have not been explored by the mainstream
exchanges. Tunnels, aka rangebets, aka corridors are reasonably well-known and are
priced in the manner of a conventional call spread although the tunnel is primarily a
volatility trade. Others such as the Duke of York, Tug of War, Accumulators provide a rich
seam of varied instruments providing distinct and unique P&L profiles.
As indicated above, binary options are generally perceived as European-style options that
cannot be exercised before expiry. The American-style binary options are out there but are
usually referred to as one-touch options. A comprehensive list of binary options strategies
would include European and American binary options, 'knock-in' binary options, 'knock-out'
binary options and two-asset binary options.
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