The binomial option pricing model is an options valuation method developed by Cox, et al, in 1979. The binomial option pricing model uses an iterative procedure, allowing for the specification of nodes, or points in time, during the time span between the valuation date and the option's expiration date.
The model reduces possibilities of price changes, removes the possibility for arbitrage, assumes a perfectly efficient market, and shortens the duration of the option. Under these simplifications, it is able to provide a mathematical valuation of the option at each point in time specified.
BREAKING DOWN 'Binomial Option Pricing Model'
The binomial model takes a risk-neutral approach to valuation. It assumes that underlying security prices can only either increase or decrease with time until the option expires worthless. A simplified example of a binomial tree might look something like this: