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 and barrier . The stock starts at . 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 . 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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