Option pricing using multivariate Lévy processes

For d -dimensional Lévy models we provide a method for Finite Element-based asset pricing. We derive the partial integrodifferential pricing equation and prove that the corresponding variational problem is well-posed. Hereto, an explicit characterization of the domain of the bilinear form is given. For the numerical implementation the problem is discretized by sparse tensor product Finite Element spaces. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Abrupt Lévy processes

Among Lévy processes with unbounded variation, we distinguish the abrupt ones, which are characterised by infinitely sharp extrema. Stable processes with parameter α>1 and creeping Lévy processes are abrupt. We give a characterisation of abrupt processes and study their Dini derivatives at all points of their trajectories.     

Structural properties of reflected Lévy processes

This paper considers a number of structural properties of reflected Lévy processes, where both one-sided reflection (at 0) and two-sided reflection (at both 0 and K>0) are examined. With V _t being the position of the reflected process at time t, we focus on the analysis of $\zeta(t):=\mathbb{E}V_{t}$ and $\xi(t):=\mathbb{V}\mathrm{ar}V_{t}$ . We prove that for the one- and two-sided reflection, ζ(t) is increasing and concave, whereas for the one-sided reflection, ξ(t) is increasing. In most proofs we first establish the claim for the discrete-time counterpart (that is, a reflected random walk), and then use a limiting argument. A key step in our proofs for the two-sided reflection is a new representation of the position of the reflected process in terms of the driving Lévy process.     

Harmonic analysis of additive Lévy processes

Let X ₁, . . . ,X _N denote N independent d-dimensional Lévy processes, and consider the N-parameter random field $$\mathfrak{X}(t) := X_1(t_1)+\cdots+ X_N(t_N).$$ First we demonstrate that for all nonrandom Borel sets ${F\subseteq{{\bf R}^d}}$ , the Minkowski sum ${\mathfrak{X}({{\bf R}^{N}_{+}})\oplus F}$ , of the range ${\mathfrak{X}({{\bf R}^{N}_{+}})}$ of ${\mathfrak{X}}$ with F, can have positive d-dimensional Lebesgue measure if and only if a certain capacity of F is positive. This improves our earlier joint effort with Yuquan Zhong by removing a certain condition of symmetry in Khoshnevisan et al. (Ann Probab 31(2):1097–1141, 2003). Moreover, we show that under mild regularity conditions, our necessary and sufficient condition can be recast in terms of one-potential densities. This rests on developing results in classical (non-probabilistic) harmonic analysis that might be of independent interest. As was shown in Khoshnevisan et al. (Ann Probab 31(2):1097–1141, 2003), the potential theory of the type studied here has a large number of consequences in the theory of Lévy processes. Presently, we highlight a few new consequences.     

The multifractal nature of Lévy processes

We show that the sample paths of most Lévy processes are multifractal functions and we determine their spectrum of singularities. Received: 21 February 1997 / Revised version: 27 July 1998     

Optimal stopping of Markov switching Lévy processes

We consider a finite time horizon optimal stopping of a regime-switching Lévy process. We prove that the value function of the optimal stopping problem can be characterized as the unique viscosity solution of the associated Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman variational inequalities.     

Fluctuations of Omega-killed spectrally negative Lévy processes

In this paper we solve the exit problems for (reflected) spectrally negative Lévy processes, which are exponentially killed with a killing intensity dependent on the present state of the process and analyze respective resolvents. All identities are given in terms of new generalizations of scale functions. For the particular cases $\omega \left(x\right)=q$ and $\omega \left(x\right)=q{\mathbf{1}}_{(a,b)}\left(x\right)$, we obtain results for the classical exit problems and the Laplace transforms of the occupation times in a given interval, until first passage times, respectively. Our results can also be applied to find the bankruptcy probability in the so-called Omega model, where bankruptcy occurs at rate $\omega \left(x\right)$ when the Lévy surplus process is at level $x<0$. Finally, we apply these results to obtain some exit identities for spectrally positive self-similar Markov processes. The main method throughout all the proofs relies on the classical fluctuation identities for Lévy processes, the Markov property and some basic properties of a Poisson process.     

On hypoellipticity of generators of Lévy processes

We give a sufficient condition on a Lévy measure μ which ensures that the generator L of the corresponding pure jump Lévy process is (locally) hypoelliptic, i.e., \(\mathop {\mathrm {sing\,supp}}u\subseteq \mathop {\mathrm {sing\,supp}}Lu\) for all admissible u. In particular, we assume that \(\mu|_{\mathbb {R}^{d}\setminus \{0\}}\in C^{\infty}(\mathbb {R}^{d}\setminus \{0\})\). We also show that this condition is necessary provided that \(\mathop {\mathrm {supp}}\mu\) is compact.     

Asymptotical properties of distributions of isotropic Lévy processes

In this paper, we establish the precise asymptotic behaviors of the tail probability and the transition density of a large class of isotropic Lévy processes when the scaling order is between 0 and 2 including 2. We also obtain the precise asymptotic behaviors of the tail probability of subordinators when the scaling order is between 0 and 1 including 1.The asymptotic expressions are given in terms of the radial part of characteristic exponent $\psi$ and its derivative. In particular, when $\psi \left(\lambda \right)?\frac{\lambda }{2}{\psi }^{\prime }\left(\lambda \right)$ varies regularly, as $\frac{t\psi {\left(r^{?1}\right)}^2}{\psi \left(r^{?1}\right)?{\left(2r\right)}^{?1}{\psi }^{\prime }\left(r^{?1}\right)}\to 0$ the tail probability $–(\left|X_t\right|\ge r)$ is asymptotically equal to a constant times $t(\psi \left(r^{?1}\right)?{\left(2r\right)}^{?1}{\psi }^{\prime }\left(r^{?1}\right)).$     

Measure preserving transformations of jump Lévy processes

Let x(t),t ? [ 0,1 ] \xi (t),t \in \left[ {0,1} \right] , be a jump Lévy process. By P_x {\mathcal{P}_\xi } we denote the law of in the Skorokhod space \mathbbD {\mathbb{D}} [0, 1]. Under some nondegeneracy condition on the Lévy measure Λ of the process, we construct a group of P_x {\mathcal{P}_\xi } -preserving transformations of the space \mathbbD {\mathbb{D}} [0, 1]. Bibliography: 10 titles.     

Exponential convergence in probability for empirical means of Lévy processes

Let （Xt）t≥0 be a Lévy process taking values in R^d with absolutely continuous marginal distributions. Given a real measurable function f on R^d in Kato＇s class, we show that the empirical mean 1/t ∫ f（Xs）ds converges to a constant z in probability with an exponential rate if and only if f has a uniform mean z. This result improves a classical result of Kahane et al. and generalizes a similar result of L. Wu from the Brownian Motion to general Lévy processes.     

Lévy processes with values in a space of continuous functions arising as limits of independent triangular arrays

In this paper we investigate the limit distribution of the functions of independent triangular arrays X_nj, 1≤j≤k(n), n≥1. According to LeCam's theorem, if f belongs to the class of functionsPD[0,2] (which is slightly weaker than the assumptions that f(0)=0, and f has the second derivative at zero), then the distribution of is shift convergent. He also gives the explicit form of the characteristic function of the limit infinitely divisible distribution. We consider the class of functionsPD[0,1] and prove a similar statement. Since in the definition of the sequence of centering constants the truncation points depend only on the value of X_nj and not on the function f, this makes the analysis of the joint distribution of random variables in the above form considerably easier. Also we analyze the process of partial sums , 0≤u≤1. where f(x,t) is a parametric family of functions depending continuously on the parameter t. In the case of power functions we give an explicit representation of the limit process in term of Poissonian integrals. Proceedings of the XVI Seminar on Stability Problems for Stochastic Models, Part II. Eger. Hungary. 1994.     

Weighted empirical processes in the nonparametric inference for Lévy processes

Given observations of a Lévy process, we provide nonparametric estimators of its Lévy tail and study the asymptotic properties of the corresponding weighted empirical processes. Within a special class of weight functions, we give necessary and sufficient conditions that ensure strong consistency and asymptotic normality of the weighted empirical processes, provided that complete information on the jumps is available. To cope with infinite activity processes, we depart from this assumption and analyze the weighted empirical processes of a sampling scheme where small jumps are neglected. We establish a bootstrap principle and provide a simulation study for some prominent Lévy processes.     

Lévy processes and quasi-shuffle algebras

We investigate the algebra of repeated integrals of semimartingales. We prove that a minimal family of semimartingales generates a quasi-shuffle algebra. In essence, to fulfil the minimality criterion, first, the family must be a minimal generator of the algebra of repeated integrals generated by its elements and by quadratic covariation processes recursively constructed from the elements of the family. Second, recursively constructed quadratic covariation processes may lie in the linear span of previously constructed quadratic covariation processes and of the family, but may not lie in the linear span of repeated integrals of these. We prove that a finite family of independent Lévy processes that have finite moments generates a minimal family. Key to the proof are the Teugels martingales and a strong orthogonalization of them. We conclude that a finite family of independent Lévy processes forms a quasi-shuffle algebra. We discuss important potential applications to constructing efficient numerical methods for the strong approximation of stochastic differential equations driven by Lévy processes.     

Branching particle systems in spectrally one-sided Lévy processes

We investigate the branching structure coded by the excursion above zero of a spectrally positive Lévy process. The main idea is to identify the level of the Lévy excursion as the time and count the number of jumps upcrossing the level. By regarding the size of a jump as the birth site of a particle, we construct a branching particle system in which the particles undergo nonlocal branchings and deterministic spatial motions to the left on the positive half line. A particle is removed from the system as soon as it reaches the origin. Then a measure-valued Borel right Markov process can be defined as the counting measures of the particle system. Its total mass evolves according to a Crump- Mode-Jagers (CMJ) branching process and its support represents the residual life times of those existing particles. A similar result for spectrally negative Lévy process is established by a time reversal approach. Properties of the measurevalued processes can be studied via the excursions for the corresponding Lévy processes.     

Lebesgue measure of the range of additive Lévy processes

We prove a theorem on the Lebesgue measure of the range of additive Lévy Processes and then use this theorem to remove Condition (1.3) of Theorem 1.5 of Khoshnevisan et al. (Ann Probab 31:1097–1141, 2003).     

Transformation of measures generated by jump Lévy processes

Let ξ(t), t ∈ [0, 1], be a jump Lévy process. We denote by the law of ξ in the Skorokhod space [0, 1]. Under some nondegeneracy condition on the Lévy measure Λ of the process, we construct a group of -preserving transformations of the space [0, 1]. Bibliography: 11 titles. __________ Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 341, 2007, pp. 175–188.     

Asymptotic results for exponential functionals of Lévy processes

The asymptotic behavior of expectations of some exponential functionals of a Lévy process is studied. The key point is the observation that the asymptotics only depend on the sample paths with slowly decreasing local infimum. We give not only the convergence rate but also the expression of the limiting coefficient. The latter is given in terms of some transformations of the Lévy process based on its renewal function. As an application, we give an exact evaluation of the decay rate of the survival probability of a continuous-state branching process in random environment with stable branching mechanism.