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TL;DR

Exotic Option Payoffs: Barrier and Asian: A canonical quantitative trading interview question at olympiad difficulty. Commonly asked at Citadel Securities, Optiver, SIG, IMC, Jane Street.

By Valenke Exam Prep Team·Last updated 2026-06-01
olympiadGame Theory & Strategy

Exotic Option Payoffs: Barrier and Asian

Asked at: Citadel Securities, Optiver, SIG, IMC, Jane Street

Problem
(a) A down-and-out call has strike K=100K = 100 and barrier H=90H = 90. The stock starts at S0=105S_0 = 105. If the stock ever touches 90 before expiry, the option ceases to exist (knocks out). Explain qualitatively: is this option cheaper or more expensive than a vanilla call? By roughly how much? (b) An Asian call pays max(1T0TStdtK,0)\max\left(\frac{1}{T}\int_0^T S_t \, dt - K, \, 0\right). The payoff depends on the average price rather than the terminal price. Is this option cheaper or more expensive than a vanilla call? Why? (c) You hold a down-and-out call and the stock is at 91 (one dollar above the barrier). Is your delta higher or lower than a vanilla call's delta? Why?

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