Black-Scholes-Merton Model
The Black-Scholes-Merton model is the foundational framework for pricing European-style options. It assumes that the underlying asset price follows a geometric Brownian motion with constant drift and volatility.
While it provided the basis for modern derivative markets, its assumption of constant volatility is frequently violated in crypto, leading to the development of extensions that incorporate stochastic or GARCH-based volatility. The model uses inputs like the underlying price, strike price, time to expiration, and the risk-free rate to calculate the fair value of an option.
Despite its limitations, it remains the universal language of options trading, used as a reference point for comparing market prices. In crypto, traders often use the Black-Scholes framework but adjust the volatility input to account for the unique risk profile of digital assets.