http://www.volcube.com/resources/options-articles/gamma-hedging-trading-strategies-part-i/
I would like to have proven to me the above formula, mostly because I don't quite understand it. The formula is an approximation of the profit from gamma trading/gamma hedging, 0.5Γ(ΔS)2 So, my questions are, how to prove that, and secondly, what does it mean exactly by "profit"?
Example:
Today, an ATM 1-year 25 % volatility call is bought for 10, and we short Δ=0.5 in the underlying, which is worth 100. So working that out, we get portfolio value Π=10−50=−40, our portfolio value.
Some time later, the spot goes up to 105. The call goes up in value, from 10 to 13.
Currently we have shorted 0.5 of the underlying, so we owe 0.5⋅105=52.5, so we have Π=−39.5.
So profit is 0.5.
Then we perform our re-hedge: if delta moved from 0.5 to 0.6, then we need to short 0.1 of the underlying. So, we add −10.5 to Π, i.e, Π=−50.
Where does the formula from above come into the picture here?
Answer
Assume you buy a plain vanilla call option at the price V and the spot S. You immediately delta hedge buy selling ∂V/∂S units of the underlying asset.
The underlying asset now instantaneously jumps form S to S′=S+ΔS. The new value of the call option is V′. Your total p&l is
P&L=V′−V−∂V∂SΔS.
You can expand the change in the option price to the second order as
V′=V+∂V∂SΔS+12∂2V∂S2(ΔS)2+O((ΔS)3).
Substituting back yields
P&L=12∂2V∂S2(ΔS)2+O((ΔS)3).
This is visualized in the below plots. They are based on T=1/12, K=100, S=100, r=0%, σ=20%. The blue (green) line is the p&l of holding a long (short) position in the call option (underlying asset). The red line is the actual net portfolio p&l and the yellow one is the second order approximation of the latter using the gamma.
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