August 10, 2020
We present a new approach to identifying asset price bubbles based on options data. Given their forward-looking nature, options are ideal instruments with which to investigate market expectations about the future evolution of asset prices, which are key to understanding price bubbles. By exploiting the differential pricing between put and call options, we can detect and quantify bubbles in the prices of underlying asset. We apply our methodology to two stock market indexes, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100, and two technology stocks, Amazon and Facebook, over the 2014-2018 sample period.