Algorithmic Trading and Prediction of Foreign Exchange Rates Based on the Option Expiration Effect

Abstract: The equity option expiration effect is a well observed phenomenon and is explained by delta hedge rebalancing and pinning risk, which makes the strike price of an option work as a magnet for the underlying price. The FX option expiration effect has not previously been explored to the same extent. In this paper the FX option expiration effect is investigated with the aim of finding out whether it provides valuable information for predicting FX rate movements. New models are created based on the concept of the option relevance coefficient that determines which options are at higher risk of being in the money or out of the money at a specified future time and thus have an attraction effect. An algorithmic trading strategy is created to evaluate these models. The new models based on the FX option expiration effect strongly outperform time series models used as benchmarks. The best results are obtained when the information about the FX option expiration effect is included as an exogenous variable in a GARCH-X model. However, despite promising and consistent results, more scientific research is required to be able to draw significant conclusions.