Risk-Neutral Pricing Assumption

Assumption

The risk-neutral pricing assumption posits that all assets in a market, including derivatives, can be valued by discounting their expected future payoffs at the risk-free rate. This theoretical framework assumes that investors are indifferent to risk, meaning they do not demand a higher expected return for taking on additional risk. While this assumption simplifies complex calculations, it is a mathematical construct rather than a reflection of real-world investor behavior.