One-Period Binomial Model

southern rock ska, sitar bubblegum dance, harpischord g-funk

Listen on 93

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Picture a stock that's priced today
Tomorrow it moves just two ways
Up with a multiplier we call "u"
Down with a "d" that's less than you'd choose
The future's uncertain but we'll make it clear
With math that turns chaos into something we can hear

[Chorus]
Up times down equals one, that's the binomial way
Risk-neutral probability lights up the gray
Replicate the payoff, match it dollar for dollar
One-period model makes the complex holler
S times u, S times d
Price the option, set it free

[Verse 2]
Start with one hundred, up factor's one-point-two
Down factor's point-eight, splits the future in two
One-twenty or eighty, those are your only bets
Now we price derivatives without breaking a sweat
The stock tree branches like a fork in the road
Each path has a payoff that we need to decode

[Chorus]
Up times down equals one, that's the binomial way
Risk-neutral probability lights up the gray
Replicate the payoff, match it dollar for dollar
One-period model makes the complex holler
S times u, S times d
Price the option, set it free

[Bridge]
Build a portfolio, delta shares of stock
Borrow at risk-free rate, make the prices lock
In the up state and down state, payoffs must align
That's replication magic, crossing every line
Hedge ratio calculated, risk completely gone
Arbitrage-free pricing from dusk until dawn

[Verse 3]
Risk-neutral measure, not the real-world odds
Q equals risk-free minus d, divided by the difference that nods
Multiply by up payoff, one minus q times down
Discount at risk-free rate, the option price is found
No matter your risk preference, the answer stays the same
One-period binomial, master of the game

[Outro]
From stock to bond to option fair
The tree reveals what's really there
Up and down, the only way
To price derivatives today

← Options Basics and Put-Call Parity | Two-Period Binomial Model →