Probability maximization models for portfolio selection under ambiguity

This paper considers several probability maximization models for multi-scenario portfolio selection problems in the case that future returns in possible scenarios are multi-dimensional random variables. In order to consider occurrence probabilities and decision makers’ predictions with respect to all scenarios, a portfolio selection problem setting a weight with flexibility to each scenario is proposed. Furthermore, by introducing aspiration levels to occurrence probabilities or future target profit and maximizing the minimum aspiration level, a robust portfolio selection problem is considered. Since these problems are formulated as stochastic programming problems due to the inclusion of random variables, they are transformed into deterministic equivalent problems introducing chance constraints based on the stochastic programming approach. Then, using a relation between the variance and absolute deviation of random variables, our proposed models are transformed into linear programming problems and efficient solution methods are developed to obtain the global optimal solution. Furthermore, a numerical example of a portfolio selection problem is provided to compare our proposed models with the basic model.     

Optimal consumption-leisure, portfolio and retirement selection based on α-maxmin expected CES utility with ambiguity

This article studies optimal consumption-leisure, portfolio and retirement selection of an infinitely lived investor whose preference is formulated by ??-maxmin expected CES utility which is to differentiate ambiguity and ambiguity attitude. Adopting the recursive multiplepriors utility and the technique of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs), we transform the ??-maxmin expected CES utility into a classical expected CES utility under a new probability measure related to the degree of an investor??s uncertainty. Our model investigates the optimal consumption-leisure-work selection, the optimal portfolio selection, and the optimal stopping problem. In this model, the investor is able to adjust her supply of labor flexibly above a certain minimum work-hour along with a retirement option. The problem can be analytically solved by using a variational inequality. And the optimal retirement time is given as the first time when her wealth exceeds a certain critical level. The optimal consumption-leisure and portfolio strategies before and after retirement are provided in closed forms. Finally, the distinctions of optimal consumption-leisure, portfolio and critical wealth level under ambiguity from those with no vagueness are discussed.     

Mean–variance portfolio and contribution selection in stochastic pension funding

In this paper we study the problem of simultaneous minimization of risks, and maximization of the terminal value of expected funds assets in a stochastic defined benefit aggregated pension plan. The risks considered are the solvency risk, measured as the variance of the terminal fund’s level, and the contribution risk, in the form of a running cost associated to deviations from the evolution of the stochastic normal cost. The problem is formulated as a bi-objective stochastic problem of mean–variance and it is solved with dynamic programming techniques. We find the efficient frontier and we show that the optimal portfolio depends linearly on the supplementary cost of the fund, plus an additional term due to the random evolution of benefits.     

Mean–variance asset–liability management with asset correlation risk and insurance liabilities

Consider an insurer who invests in the financial market where correlations among risky asset returns are randomly changing over time. The insurer who faces the risk of paying stochastic insurance claims needs to manage her asset and liability by taking into account of the correlation risk. This paper investigates the impact of correlation risk to the optimal asset–liability management (ALM) of an insurer. We employ the Wishart process to model the stochastic covariance matrix of risky asset returns. The insurer aims to minimize the variance of the terminal wealth given an expected terminal wealth subject to the risk of paying out random liabilities of compound Poisson process. This ALM problem then becomes a linear–quadratic stochastic optimal control problem with stochastic volatilities, stochastic correlations and jumps. The recognition of an affine form in the solution process enables us to derive the explicit closed-form solution to the optimal ALM portfolio policy, obtain the efficient frontier, and identify the condition that the solution is well behaved.     

基于通货膨胀风险和Heston随机波动率下的最优资产配置

本文考虑了基于均值-方差准则下的连续时间投资组合选择问题。为了对冲市场中的利率风险和通货膨胀风险,假定市场上存在可供交易的零息名义债券和零息通货膨胀指数债券。另外,投资者还可以投资一个价格具有Heston随机波动率的风险资产。首先建立了基于均值-方差框架下的最优投资组合问题,然后将原问题进行转换,利用随机动态规划方法和对偶Lagrangian原理,获得了均值-方差准则下的有效投资策略以及有效前沿的解析表达形式,最后对相关参数的敏感性进行了分析。     

A maximum principle for relaxed stochastic control of linear SDEs with application to bond portfolio optimization

We study relaxed stochastic control problems where the state equation is a one dimensional linear stochastic differential equation with random and unbounded coefficients. The two main results are existence of an optimal relaxed control and necessary conditions for optimality in the form of a relaxed maximum principle. The main motivation is an optimal bond portfolio problem in a market where there exists a continuum of bonds and the portfolio weights are modeled as measure-valued processes on the set of times to maturity.     

Ordering Results for Risk Bounds and Cost-efficient Payoffs in Partially Specified Risk Factor Models

Motivated by the problem of sharp risk bounds in partially specified risk factor models and by the method of cost-efficient payoffs with given payoff structure we introduce and describe some stochastic odering problems for conditionally comonotonic resp. antimonotonic random variables. The aim is to describe the influence of the specified dependence of the components of the random vector X with a benchmark Z on the risk bounds in a risk portfolio resp. on the gain of cost efficiency of the optimal payoffs. We obtain in particular explicit results in dependence on distributional parameters for elliptical models in the case of risk bounds and for the multivariate Samuelson model in the case of cost efficient payoffs.     

Multiperiod portfolio optimization models in stochastic markets using the mean–variance approach

We consider several multiperiod portfolio optimization models where the market consists of a riskless asset and several risky assets. The returns in any period are random with a mean vector and a covariance matrix that depend on the prevailing economic conditions in the market during that period. An important feature of our model is that the stochastic evolution of the market is described by a Markov chain with perfectly observable states. Various models involving the safety-first approach, coefficient of variation and quadratic utility functions are considered where the objective functions depend only on the mean and the variance of the final wealth. An auxiliary problem that generates the same efficient frontier as our formulations is solved using dynamic programming to identify optimal portfolio management policies for each problem. Illustrative cases are presented to demonstrate the solution procedure with an interpretation of the optimal policies.     

Consumption-Investment Problem with Subsistence Consumption,Bankruptcy, and Random Market Coefficients

We consider a general continuous-time finite-horizon single-agent consumption and portfolio decision problem with subsistence consumption and value of bankruptcy. Our analysis allows for random market coefficients and general continuously differentiable concave utility functions. We study the time of bankruptcy as a problem of optimal stopping, and succeed in obtaining explicit formulas for the optimal consumption and wealth processes in terms of the optimal bankruptcy time. This paper extends the results of Karatzas, Lehoczky, and Shreve (Ref. 1) on the maximization of expected utility from consumption in a financial market with random coefficients by incorporating subsistence consumption and bankruptcy. It also addresses the random coefficients and finite-horizon version of the problem treated by Sethi, Taksar, and Presman (Ref. 2). The mathematical tools used in our analysis are optimal stopping, stochastic control, martingale theory, and Girsanov change of measure.     

求解带有交易费的CVaR投资组合模型的L-S算法

本文假设投资者是风险厌恶型,用CVaR作为测量投资组合风险的方法.在预算约束的条件下,以最小化CVaR为目标函数,建立了带有交易费用的投资组合模型.将模型转化为两阶段补偿随机优化模型,构造了求解模型的随机L-S算法.为了验证算法的有效性,用中国证券市场中的股票进行数值试验,得到了最优投资组合、VaR和CVaR的值.而且对比分析了有交易费和没有交易费的最优投资组合的不同,给出了相应的有效前沿.     

Mean–variance portfolio selection under a constant elasticity of variance model

This paper discusses a mean–variance portfolio selection problem under a constant elasticity of variance model. A backward stochastic Riccati equation is first considered. Then we relate the solution of the associated stochastic control problem to that of the backward stochastic Riccati equation. Finally, explicit expressions of the optimal portfolio strategy, the value function and the efficient frontier of the mean–variance problem are expressed in terms of the solution of the backward stochastic Riccati equation.     

随机利率及随机收益保证下的投资策略

考虑随机利率环境及随机收益保证下基金经理的投资组合问题。利用鞅方法,得到了最优投资策略的显性解。结论表明,最优投资策略包括三个部分：投机策略、利率套期保值策略以及随机收益保证的复制策略,且该最优策略等价于将一部分资金投资于确保终端时刻获得最低收益的基准组合,而剩余资金则依照无保证情况下的最优策略进行投资。     

Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection with a Stochastic Cash Flow in a Markov-switching Jump–Diffusion Market

This paper considers a non-self-financing mean-variance portfolio selection problem in which the stock price and the stochastic cash flow follow a Markov-modulated Lévy process and a Markov-modulated Brownian motion with drift, respectively. The stochastic cash flow can be explained as the stochastic income or liability of the investors during the investment process. The existence of optimal solutions is analyzed, and the optimal strategy and the efficient frontier are derived in closed-form by the Lagrange multiplier technique and the LQ (Linear Quadratic) technique.     

随机模糊的等比例-最小方差投资组合优化研究

Markowitz的均值-方差模型在投资组合优化中得到了广泛的运用和拓展,其中多数拓展模型仅局限于对随机投资组合或模糊投资组合的研究,而忽略了实际问题同时包含了随机信息和模糊信息两个方面。本文首先定义随机模糊变量的方差用以度量投资组合的风险,提出具有阀值约束的最小方差随机模糊投资组合模型,基于随机模糊理论,将该模型转化为具有线性等式和不等式约束的凸二次规划问题。为了提高上述模型的有效性,本文以投资者期望效用最大化为压缩目标对投资组合权重进行压缩,构建等比例-最小方差混合的随机模糊投资组合模型,并求解该模型的最优解。最后,运用滚动实际数据的方法,比较上述两个模型的夏普比率以验证其有效性。     

David G. Luenberger,Linear and nonlinear programming, 2nd edition,Addison-Wesley,Reading (1984), xv + 492 pages, $35.50

This paper considers a stochastic version of the linear continuous type knapsack problem in which the cost coefficients are random variables. The problem is to find an optimal solution and an optimal probability level of the chance constraint. This problem P₀ is first transformed into a deterministic equivalent problem P. Then a subproblem with a positive parameter is introduced and a close relation between P and its subproblem is shown. Further, an auxiliary problem of the subproblem is introduced and a direct relation between P and the auxiliary problem is derived through a relation connecting the subproblem and its auxiliary problem. Fully utilizing these relations, an efficient algorithm is proposed that finds an optimal solution of P in at most O(n⁴) computational time where n is the number of decision variables. Finally, further research problems are discussed.     

Calculating risk neutral probabilities and optimal portfolio policies in a dynamic investment model with downside risk control

This paper presents a method for solving multiperiod investment models with downside risk control characterized by the portfolio’s worst outcome. The stochastic programming problem is decomposed into two subproblems: a nonlinear optimization model identifying the optimal terminal wealth distribution and a stochastic linear programming model replicating the identified optimal portfolio wealth. The replicating portfolio coincides with the optimal solution to the investor’s problem if the market is frictionless. The multiperiod stochastic linear programming model tests for the absence of arbitrage opportunities and its dual feasible solutions generate all risk neutral probability measures. When there are constraints such as liquidity or position requirements, the method yields approximate portfolio policies by minimizing the initial cost of the replication portfolio. A numerical example illustrates the difference between the replicating result and the optimal unconstrained portfolio.     

具有交易费用和马氏调制的均值-方差组合选择

研究了均值-方差准则下,最优投资组合选择问题.投资者为了增加财富它可以在金融市场上投资.金融市场由一个无风险资产和n个带跳的风险资产组成,并假设金融市场具有马氏调制,买卖风险资产时,考虑交易费用.目标是,在终值财富的均值等于d的限制下,使终值财富的方差最小,即均值-方差组合选择问题.应用随机控制的理论解决该问题,获得了最优的投资策略和有效边界.     

Knowledge‐based scenario tree generation methods and application in multiperiod portfolio selection problem

A scenario tree is an efficient way to represent a stochastic data process in decision problems under uncertainty. This paper addresses how to efficiently generate appropriate scenario trees. A knowledge‐based scenario tree generation method is proposed; the new method is further improved by accounting for subjective judgements or expectations about the random future. Compared with existing approaches, complicated mathematical models and time‐consuming estimation, simulation and optimization problem solution are avoided in our knowledge‐based algorithms, and large‐scale scenario trees can be quickly generated. To show the advantages of the new algorithms, a multiperiod portfolio selection problem is considered, and a dynamic risk measure is adopted to control the intermediate risk, which is superior to the single‐period risk measure used in the existing literature. A series of numerical experiments are carried out by using real trading data from the Shanghai stock market. The results show that the scenarios generated by our algorithms can properly represent the underlying distribution; our algorithms have high performance, say, a scenario tree with up to 10,000 scenarios can be generated in less than a half minute. The applications in the multiperiod portfolio management problem demonstrate that our scenario tree generation methods are stable, and the optimal trading strategies obtained with the generated scenario tree are reasonable, efficient and robust. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Nonhomogeneous Mean-Field Linear-Quadratic Optimal Control Problem and Application

In this paper, a mean-variance hedging portfolio problem is considered for mean-field stochastic differential equations. The original problem can be reformulated as a nonhomogeneous linear-quadratic optimal control problem with mean-field type. By virtue of the classical completion of squares, the optimal control is obtained in the form of state feedback. We use the theoretical results to the mean-variance hedging portfolio problem and get the optimal portfolio strategy.