Saddlepoint approximations to option prices

Abstract

The use of saddlepoint approximations in statistics is a well-established technique for computing the distribution of a random variable whose moment generating function is known. In this paper, we apply the methodology to computing the prices of various European-style options, whose returns processes are not the Brownian motion with drift assumed in the Black-Scholes paradigm. Through a number of examples, we show that the methodology is generally accurate and fast.