The Pricing of Structured Products in the Swiss Market

Abstract:     
Securitized covered call writing strategies play an important role in the Swiss market. The authors analyze the initial pricing of 275 products by comparing them to equivalent strategies in the underlying markets and at EUREX. On average, price distortions in favor of the issuing institutions compensate them for efforts associated with the management of the structured products. There are differences in the pricing behavior of several issuers. The pricing differs in terms of average pricing errors but also in the corresponding dispersions. There are significant pricing differences between products paying a fixed coupon and those without such a coupon. Finally, the authors document the important role of co-lead managers in the case of new issues.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 17

working papers series