Swaptions and their Valuation
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Swaption provides option holder the option to enter into a swap.
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Payer vs. Receiver
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Payer Swaption: The holder can enter into a swap as the fixed rate payer/floating rate receiver
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Receiver Swaption: The holder can enter into a swap as the floating rate payer/fixed rate receiver.
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Parties who expect the need for a swap in the future and want to lock in the swap rate now are common users of swaptions.
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Swaptions provide flexibility to not enter a swap or postpone swap entry for a more desirable rate.
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Interest Rate Swaptions - Payoffs and Cash Flows The holder of a payer swaption with positive value can realize this positive value in three ways (note the swaption holder will be in a situation where the floating rate received exceeds the fixed rate paid):
- Exercise the swaption and enter into a pay fixed-receive floating interest rate swap; note that this strategy entails risk as interest rates could change and thus change the floating payment received.
- Exercise the swaption and enter another pay floating-receive fixed interest rate swap at current rates. The income and outgoing swaps will offset and the swaption holder has created an annuity for him/herself.
- The swaption holder may be able to arrange to receive a lump sum payment equal to the present value of the annuity created in approach #2.
Value of an Interest Rate Swaption at Expiration
- Payer Swaption payoff at expiration (based on $1 notional) =
= Max[0,FS(0,n,m) - x] ΣB0(hj)
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FS(0,n,m) = Market rate on the underlying swap at swaption expiration.
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X = The exercise rate that the payer would pay under swaption terms
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B0(hj) = Present value factor for each interest payment, based on the term structure at the expiration of the swaption
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Receiver Swaption payoff at expiration (based on $1 notional) =
= Max[0, x - FS(0,n,m)] ΣB0(hj)
- FS(0,n,m) = Market rate on the underlying swap at swaption expiration.
- X = The exercise rate that the receiver would receive under swaption terms
- B0(hj) = Present value factor for each interest payment, based on the term structure at the expiration of the swaption