No Arabic abstract
We examine Kreps (2019) conjecture that optimal expected utility in the classic Black--Scholes--Merton (BSM) economy is the limit of optimal expected utility for a sequence of discrete-time economies that approach the BSM economy in a natural sense: The $n$th discrete-time economy is generated by a scaled $n$-step random walk, based on an unscaled random variable $zeta$ with mean zero, variance one, and bounded support. We confirm Kreps conjecture if the consumers utility function $U$ has asymptotic elasticity strictly less than one, and we provide a counterexample to the conjecture for a utility function $U$ with asymptotic elasticity equal to 1, for $zeta$ such that $E[zeta^3] > 0.$
In a model independent discrete time financial market, we discuss the richness of the family of martingale measures in relation to different notions of Arbitrage, generated by a class $mathcal{S}$ of significant sets, which we call Arbitrage de la classe $mathcal{S}$. The choice of $mathcal{S}$ reflects into the intrinsic properties of the class of polar sets of martingale measures. In particular: for S=${Omega}$ absence of Model Independent Arbitrage is equivalent to the existence of a martingale measure; for $mathcal{S}$ being the open sets, absence of Open Arbitrage is equivalent to the existence of full support martingale measures. These results are obtained by adopting a technical filtration enlargement and by constructing a universal aggregator of all arbitrage opportunities. We further introduce the notion of market feasibility and provide its characterization via arbitrage conditions. We conclude providing a dual representation of Open Arbitrage in terms of weakly open sets of probability measures, which highlights the robust nature of this concept.
We develop a robust framework for pricing and hedging of derivative securities in discrete-time financial markets. We consider markets with both dynamically and statically traded assets and make minimal measurability assumptions. We obtain an abstract (pointwise) Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing and Pricing--Hedging Duality. Our results are general and in particular include so-called model independent results of Acciao et al. (2016), Burzoni et al. (2016) as well as seminal results of Dalang et al. (1990) in a classical probabilistic approach. Our analysis is scenario--based: a model specification is equivalent to a choice of scenarios to be considered. The choice can vary between all scenarios and the set of scenarios charged by a given probability measure. In this way, our framework interpolates between a model with universally acceptable broad assumptions and a model based on a specific probabilistic view of future asset dynamics.
In this paper we study the pricing and hedging of structured products in energy markets, such as swing and virtual gas storage, using the exponential utility indifference pricing approach in a general incomplete multivariate market model driven by finitely many stochastic factors. The buyer of such contracts is allowed to trade in the forward market in order to hedge the risk of his position. We fully characterize the buyers utility indifference price of a given product in terms of continuous viscosity solutions of suitable nonlinear PDEs. This gives a way to identify reasonable candidates for the optimal exercise strategy for the structured product as well as for the corresponding hedging strategy. Moreover, in a model with two correlated assets, one traded and one nontraded, we obtain a representation of the price as the value function of an auxiliary simpler optimization problem under a risk neutral probability, that can be viewed as a perturbation of the minimal entropy martingale measure. Finally, numerical results are provided.
We study the optimal investment stopping problem in both continuous and discrete case, where the investor needs to choose the optimal trading strategy and optimal stopping time concurrently to maximize the expected utility of terminal wealth. Based on the work [9] with an additional stochastic payoff function, we characterize the value function for the continuous problem via the theory of quadratic reflected backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE for short) with unbounded terminal condition. In regard to discrete problem, we get the discretization form composed of piecewise quadratic BSDEs recursively under Markovian framework and the assumption of bounded obstacle, and provide some useful prior estimates about the solutions with the help of auxiliary forward-backward SDE system and Malliavin calculus. Finally, we obtain the uniform convergence and relevant rate from discretely to continuously quadratic reflected BSDE, which arise from corresponding optimal investment stopping problem through above characterization.
This paper formulates an utility indifference pricing model for investors trading in a discrete time financial market under non-dominated model uncertainty. The investors preferences are described by strictly increasing concave random functions defined on the positive axis. We prove that under suitable conditions the multiple-priors utility indifference prices of a contingent claim converge to its multiple-priors superreplication price. We also revisit the notion of certainty equivalent for random utility functions and establish its relation with the absolute risk aversion.