Hello,
After much thought and talking to people. I realized there is somewhat demand for bitcoin relation options.
I have spent 2-3 weeks developing a formula for pricing the options though there is a few anomalies that I have to account for.
Technical Part: Generally its the black-scholes formula but with many variables taken into account and some financial modeling. I have made certain assumptions along with interpreting a "risk free rate." I had some trouble with the curve of the options price because bitcoin is such a unique asset, I had to make some assumptions that otherwise would not be used in real life (difficulty, expected growth etc).
What I have come up with is way to price options up to 3 months. Beyond 3 months you run into more difficulty as I feel that my model cannot accurately gauge prices. Also, the far "out of the money" options will be priced higher due to an increase in expected/implied volatility.
Gauging interest: I am here to gauge interest if anyone is interested in buying contracts.
I will start small with 10 BTC max per direction (contract size, 1 contract = 1 btc, so 10 max either put or call) per person and will have a certain ratio of Calls to Puts so that in case of extreme swing, I will be able payout. I believe I have sufficient capital to payout to take on 100 - 200 BTC in options.
You can use this service to either speculate or hedge your other ventures/investments etc
Offering: Current BTC/USD price = 11.5
I am only offering November, December, January 2013 contracts of the 9,10,11,12,13 for both calls and puts. American style (redeem whenever)
If you want to build a synthetic, we will have to discuss.
Shorting contracts will not be an option initially.
Example:You want a contract for the max (10BTC) Call for Jan 2013 with a strike of $13. I quote you the price of $3 BTC per contract. You send BTC to me, and I will note you in my books as an owner. You may sell this contract to other people (but must let me know) or you can sell it back to me for an agreed price.
You can also exercise that option whenever you want. And I will either send you BTC for calls or buy BTC from you in the form of puts.
Tl;Dr: Gauging interest on options contracts. 10 BTC max per person.
Post below if interested, if I receive enough interest, I will go ahead and launch.
-Richard
Edit: introduction guide to options
http://www.investopedia.com/university/options/option.asp#axzz29QCsDKNF