Optimal allocation of policy limits and deductibles

In this paper, we study the problems of optimal allocation of policy limits and deductibles. Several objective functions are considered: maximizing the expected utility of wealth assuming the losses are independent, minimizing the expected total retained loss and maximizing the expected utility of wealth when the dependence structure is unknown. Orderings of the optimal allocations are obtained.     

一类终端财富期望效用最大化问题: 通货膨胀情形

本文研究了一类受通货膨胀影响的终端财富期望效用最大化问题.对常数相对风险厌恶(CRRA) 情形的效用函数,用直接构造的方法得到了代理人的显式最优投资策略和最大期望效用,并给出其经济含义. 该思想来自线性二次最优控制问题中的完全平方技术.根据股票价格和通货膨胀率的历史数据,我们用SAS软件估计出模型中参数的近似值,并给出代理人的最优投资策略和最大期望效用.     

Optimal reinsurance policy: The adjustment coefficient and the expected utility criteria

This paper is concerned with the optimal form of reinsurance from the ceding company point of view, when the cedent seeks to maximize the adjustment coefficient of the retained risk. We deal with the problem by exploring the relationship between maximizing the adjustment coefficient and maximizing the expected utility of wealth for the exponential utility function, both with respect to the retained risk of the insurer.Assuming that the premium calculation principle is a convex functional and that some other quite general conditions are fulfilled, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions and provide a necessary optimal condition. These results are used to find the optimal reinsurance policy when the reinsurance premium calculation principle is the expected value principle or the reinsurance loading is an increasing function of the variance. In the expected value case the optimal form of reinsurance is a stop-loss contract. In the other cases, it is described by a nonlinear function.     

Efficient frontier of utility and CVaR

We study the efficient frontier problem of maximizing the expected utility of terminal wealth and minimizing the conditional VaR of the utility loss. We establish the existence of the optimal solution with the convex duality analysis. We find the optimal value of the constrained problem with the sequential penalty function and the dynamic programming method.      

HARA frontiers of optimal portfolios in stochastic markets

In this paper, we consider the optimal portfolio selection problem in continuous-time settings where the investor maximizes the expected utility of the terminal wealth in a stochastic market. The utility function has the structure of the HARA family and the market states change according to a Markov process. The states of the market describe the prevailing economic, financial, social and other conditions that affect the deterministic and probabilistic parameters of the model. This includes the distributions of the random asset returns as well as the utility function. We analyzed Black–Scholes type continuous-time models where the market parameters are driven by Markov processes. The Markov process that affects the state of the market is independent of the underlying Brownian motion that drives the stock prices. The problem of maximizing the expected utility of the terminal wealth is investigated and solved by stochastic optimal control methods for exponential, logarithmic and power utility functions. We found explicit solutions for optimal policy and the associated value functions. We also constructed the optimal wealth process explicitly and discussed some of its properties. In particular, it is shown that the optimal policy provides linear frontiers.     

Some stability results of optimal investment in a simple Lévy market

We investigate some investment problems of maximizing the expected utility of the terminal wealth in a simple Lévy market, where the stock price is driven by a Brownian motion plus a Poisson process. The optimal investment portfolios are given explicitly under the hypotheses that the utility functions belong to the HARA, exponential and logarithmic classes. We show that the solutions for the HARA utility are stable in the sense of weak convergence when the parameters vary in a suitable way.     

Optimal proportional reinsurance and investment with multiple risky assets and no-shorting constraint

In this paper, the basic claim process is assumed to follow a Brownian motion with drift. In addition, the insurer is allowed to invest in a risk-free asset and n risky assets and to purchase proportional reinsurance. Under the constraint of no-shorting, we consider two optimization problems: the problem of maximizing the expected exponential utility of terminal wealth and the problem of minimizing the probability of ruin. By solving the corresponding Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations, explicit expressions for their optimal value functions and the corresponding optimal strategies are obtained. In particular, when there is no risk-free interest rate, the results indicate that the optimal strategies, under maximizing the expected exponential utility and minimizing the probability of ruin, are equivalent for some special parameter. This validates Ferguson’s longstanding conjecture about the relation between the two problems.     

Utility maximization with partial information: Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation approach

This paper deals with the problem of maximizing the expected utility of the terminal wealth when the stock price satisfies a stochastic differential equation with instantaneous rates of return modelled as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Here, only the stock price and interest rate can be observable for an investor. It is reduced to a partially observed stochastic control problem. Combining the filtering theory with the dynamic programming approach, explicit representations of the optimal value functions and corresponding optimal strategies are derived. Moreover, closed-form solutions are provided in two cases of exponential utility and logarithmic utility. In particular, logarithmic utility is considered under the restriction of short-selling and borrowing.      

Optimal dynamic excess-of-loss reinsurance and multidimensional portfolio selection

In this paper, the surplus process of the insurance company is described by a Brownian motion with drift. In addition, the insurer is allowed to invest in a risk-free asset and n risky assets and purchase excess-of-loss reinsurance. Under short-selling prohibition, we consider two optimization problems: the problem of maximizing the expected exponential utility of terminal wealth and the problem of minimizing the probability of ruin. We first show that the excess-of-loss reinsurance strategy is always better than the proportional reinsurance under two objective functions. Then, by solving the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations, the closed-form solutions of their optimal value functions and the corresponding optimal strategies are obtained. In particular, when there is no risky-free interest rate, the results indicate that the optimal strategies, under maximizing the expected exponential utility and minimizing the probability of ruin, are equivalent for some special parameter. This validates Ferguson’s longstanding conjecture about the relation between the two problems.     

跳扩散盈余过程的最优投资和最优再保险

站在保险人的立场上,研究了跳扩散盈余过程的最优投资和最优再保险问题.在方差保费原理下,以盈余终值的期望指数效用达到最大作为最优准则,给出了最优策略和值函数的近似表达式.同时也证明了投资总比不投资好的结论.最后,通过一些数例和图表来进一步说明所获得的结论.