Regulatory-Compliant Derivatives Pricing is Not Risk-Neutral

Abstract

Regulations impose idiosyncratic capital and funding costs for holding derivatives. Capital requirements are costly because derivatives desks are risky businesses; funding is costly in part because regulations increase the minimum funding tenor. Idiosyncratic costs mean no single measure makes derivatives martingales for all market participants. Hence Regulatory-compliant pricing is not risk-neutral. This has implications for exit prices and mark-to-market.

12 pages; 3 figures, Risk, September 2014