Optimal investment–reinsurance strategies with state dependent risk aversion and VaR constraints in correlated markets

In this paper, we investigate the optimal time-consistent investment–reinsurance strategies for an insurer with state dependent risk aversion and Value-at-Risk (VaR) constraints. The insurer can purchase proportional reinsurance to reduce its insurance risks and invest its wealth in a financial market consisting of one risk-free asset and one risky asset, whose price process follows a geometric Brownian motion. The surplus process of the insurer is approximated by a Brownian motion with drift. The two Brownian motions in the insurer’s surplus process and the risky asset’s price process are correlated, which describe the correlation or dependence between the insurance market and the financial market. We introduce the VaR control levels for the insurer to control its loss in investment–reinsurance strategies, which also represent the requirement of regulators on the insurer’s investment behavior. Under the mean–variance criterion, we formulate the optimal investment–reinsurance problem within a game theoretic framework. By using the technique of stochastic control theory and solving the corresponding extended Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) system of equations, we derive the closed-form expressions of the optimal investment–reinsurance strategies. In addition, we illustrate the optimal investment–reinsurance strategies by numerical examples and discuss the impact of the risk aversion, the correlation between the insurance market and the financial market, and the VaR control levels on the optimal strategies.     

具有共同冲击相依性的跳扩散金融市场中有着延迟和违约风险的鲁棒最优再保险和投资策略

在本文中,我们考虑跳扩散模型下具有延迟和违约风险的鲁棒最优再保险和投资问题,保险人可以投资无风险资产,可违约的债券和两个风险资产,其中两个风险资产遵循跳跃扩散模型且受到同种因素带来共同影响而相互关联.假设允许保险人购买比例再保险,特别地再保险保费利用均值方差保费原则来计算.在考虑与绩效相关的资本流入/流出下,保险公司的...     

Optimal investment strategies for participating contracts

Participating contracts are popular insurance policies, in which the payoff to a policyholder is linked to the performance of a portfolio managed by the insurer. We consider the portfolio selection problem of an insurer that offers participating contracts and has an S-shaped utility function. Applying the martingale approach, closed-form solutions are obtained. The resulting optimal strategies are compared with portfolio insurance hedging strategies (CPPI and OBPI). We also study numerical solutions of the portfolio selection problem with constraints on the portfolio weights.     

Optimal reinsurance and investment strategies for insurer under interest rate and inflation risks

In this paper, we investigate an optimal reinsurance and investment problem for an insurer whose surplus process is approximated by a drifted Brownian motion. Proportional reinsurance is to hedge the risk of insurance. Interest rate risk and inflation risk are considered. We suppose that the instantaneous nominal interest rate follows an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, and the inflation index is given by a generalized Fisher equation. To make the market complete, zero-coupon bonds and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) are included in the market. The financial market consists of cash, zero-coupon bond, TIPS and stock. We employ the stochastic dynamic programming to derive the closed-forms of the optimal reinsurance and investment strategies as well as the optimal utility function under the constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) utility maximization. Sensitivity analysis is given to show the economic behavior of the optimal strategies and optimal utility.     

Portfolio selection problem with multiple risky assets under the constant elasticity of variance model

This paper focuses on the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model for studying the utility maximization portfolio selection problem with multiple risky assets and a risk-free asset. The Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation associated with the portfolio optimization problem is established. By applying a power transform and a variable change technique, we derive the explicit solution for the constant absolute risk aversion (CARA) utility function when the elasticity coefficient is −1 or 0. In order to obtain a general optimal strategy for all values of the elasticity coefficient, we propose a model with two risky assets and one risk-free asset and solve it under a given assumption. Furthermore, we analyze the properties of the optimal strategies and discuss the effects of market parameters on the optimal strategies. Finally, a numerical simulation is presented to illustrate the similarities and differences between the results of the two models proposed in this paper.     

Optimal proportional reinsurance and investment problem with jump-diffusion risk process under effect of inside information

We study optimal investment and proportional reinsurance strategy in the presence of inside information. The risk process is assumed to follow a compound Poisson process perturbed by a standard Brownian motion. The insurer is allowed to invest in a risk-free asset and a risky asset as well as to purchase proportional reinsurance. In addition, it has some extra information available from the beginning of the trading interval, thus introducing in this way inside information aspects to our model. We consider two optimization problems： the problem of maximizing the expected exponential utility of terminal wealth with and without inside information, respectively. By solving the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations, explicit expressions for their optimal value functions and the corresponding optimal strategies are obtained. Finally, we discuss the effects of parameters on the optimal strategy and the effect of the inside information by numerical simulations.     

Robust non-zero-sum investment and reinsurance game with default risk

This paper investigates a non-zero-sum stochastic differential game between two competitive CARA insurers, who are concerned about the potential model ambiguity and aim to seek the robust optimal reinsurance and investment strategies. The ambiguity-averse insurers are allowed to purchase reinsurance treaty to mitigate individual claim risks; and can invest in a financial market consisting of one risk-free asset, one risky asset and one defaultable corporate bond. The objective of each insurer is to maximize the expected exponential utility of his terminal surplus relative to that of his competitor under the worst-case scenario of the alternative measures. Applying the techniques of stochastic dynamic programming, we derive the robust Nash equilibrium reinsurance and investment policies explicitly and present the corresponding verification theorem. Finally, we perform some numerical examples to illustrate the influence of model parameters on the equilibrium reinsurance and investment strategies and draw some economic interpretations from these results.     

Dynamic risk-sharing game and reinsurance contract design

This paper studies the optimal risk-sharing between an insurer and a reinsurer. The insurer purchases reinsurance for risk-control and decides her retention level with an objective to minimize her ruin probability. The reinsurer has control over the reinsurance price and aims to maximize her expected discounted profits up to the time when the insurer goes bankrupt. In a stochastic differential game-theoretic framework, we determine the insurer’s optimal reinsurance strategy and specify the reinsurance contract by solving a system of coupled Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations. We obtain explicit solutions for the game problem when both the insurance and the reinsurance premiums are calculated according to the standard-deviation principle or the expected value principle, respectively. Our results show that, depending on the model parameters, the reinsurance contract is either provided with a peak price when the insurer has sufficient cash reserve and with a minimum price when otherwise, or is always provided with a peak price. We also perform some numerical analyses and provide economic interpretations for the results.     

Optimal Proportional Reinsurance for Controlled Risk Process which is Perturbed by Diffusion

In this paper, we study optimal proportional reinsurance policy of an insurer with a risk process which is perturbed by a diffusion. We derive closed-form expressions for the policy and the value function, which are optimal in the sense of maximizing the expected utility in the jump-diffusion framework. We also obtain explicit expressions for the policy and the value function, which are optimal in the sense of maximizing the expected utility or maximizing the survival probability in the diffusion approximation case. Some numerical examples are presented, which show the impact of model parameters on the policy. We also compare the results under the different criteria and different cases.     

Optimal consumption and investment with insurer default risk

We solve the optimal consumption and investment problem in an incomplete market, where borrowing constraints and insurer default risk are considered jointly. We derive in closed-form the optimal consumption and investment strategies. We find two main results by quantitative analysis. As insurer default risk increases, the proportion of wealth invested in stocks could increase when wealth is small, and decrease when wealth is large. As risk aversion increases, the voluntary annuity demand could increase when insurer default risk is low, and decrease when this risk is high.     

Optimal investment–reinsurance with delay for mean–variance insurers: A maximum principle approach

This paper is concerned with an optimal investment and reinsurance problem with delay for an insurer under the mean–variance criterion. A three-stage procedure is employed to solve the insurer’s mean–variance problem. We first use the maximum principle approach to solve a benchmark problem. Then applying the Lagrangian duality method, we derive the optimal solutions for a variance-minimization problem. Based on these solutions, we finally obtain the efficient strategy and the efficient frontier of the insurer’s mean–variance problem. Some numerical examples are also provided to illustrate our results.     

Robust optimal reinsurance–investment strategy with price jumps and correlated claims

This paper considers the robust optimal reinsurance–investment strategy selection problem with price jumps and correlated claims for an ambiguity-averse insurer (AAI). The correlated claims mean that future claims are correlated with historical claims, which is measured by an extrapolative bias. In our model, the AAI transfers part of the risk due to insurance claims via reinsurance and invests the surplus in a financial market consisting of a risk-free asset and a risky asset whose price is described by a jump–diffusion model. Under the criterion of maximizing the expected utility of terminal wealth, we obtain closed-form solutions for the robust optimal reinsurance–investment strategy and the corresponding value function by using the stochastic dynamic programming approach. In order to examine the influence of investment risk on the insurer’s investment behavior, we further study the time-consistent reinsurance–investment strategy under the mean–variance framework and also obtain the explicit solution. Furthermore, we examine the relationship among the optimal reinsurance–investment strategies of the AAI under three typical cases. A series of numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate how the robust optimal reinsurance–investment strategy varies with model parameters, and result analyses reveal some interesting phenomena and provide useful guidances for reinsurance and investment in reality.     

Optimal Investment Strategies for an Insurer with SAHARA Utility

In this paper, we consider the optimal investment strategy which maximizes the utility of the terminal wealth of an insurer with SAHARA utility functions. This class of utility functions has non-monotone absolute risk aversion, which is more flexible than the CARA and CRRA utility functions. In the case that the risk process is modeled as a Brownian motion and the stock process is modeled as a geometric Brownian motion, we get the closed-form solutions for our problem by the martingale method for both the constant threshold and when the threshold evolves dynamically according to a specific process. Finally, we show that the optimal strategy is state-dependent.     

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??In this paper, we consider the optimal investment strategy which maximizes the utility of the terminal wealth of an insurer with SAHARA utility functions. This class of utility functions has non-monotone absolute risk aversion, which is more flexible than the CARA and CRRA utility functions. In the case that the risk process is modeled as a Brownian motion and the stock process is modeled as a geometric Brownian motion, we get the closed-form solutions for our problem by the martingale method for both the constant threshold and when the threshold evolves dynamically according to a specific process. Finally, we show that the optimal strategy is state-dependent.     

Optimal execution with weighted impact functions: a quadratic programming approach

In this paper, we develop optimal trading strategies for a risk averse investor by minimizing the expected cost and the risk of execution. Here we consider a law of motion for price which uses a convex combination of temporary and permanent market impact. In the special case of unconstrained problem for a risk neutral investor, we obtain a closed form solution for optimal trading strategies by using dynamic programming. For a general problem, we use a quadratic programming approach to get approximate dynamic optimal trading strategies. Further, numerical examples of optimal execution strategies are provided for illustration purposes.     

Optimal reinsurance with regulatory initial capital and default risk

In a reinsurance contract, a reinsurer promises to pay the part of the loss faced by an insurer in exchange for receiving a reinsurance premium from the insurer. However, the reinsurer may fail to pay the promised amount when the promised amount exceeds the reinsurer’s solvency. As a seller of a reinsurance contract, the initial capital or reserve of a reinsurer should meet some regulatory requirements. We assume that the initial capital or reserve of a reinsurer is regulated by the value-at-risk (VaR) of its promised indemnity. When the promised indemnity exceeds the total of the reinsurer’s initial capital and the reinsurance premium, the reinsurer may fail to pay the promised amount or default may occur. In the presence of the regulatory initial capital and the counterparty default risk, we investigate optimal reinsurance designs from an insurer’s point of view and derive optimal reinsurance strategies that maximize the expected utility of an insurer’s terminal wealth or minimize the VaR of an insurer’s total retained risk. It turns out that optimal reinsurance strategies in the presence of the regulatory initial capital and the counterparty default risk are different both from optimal reinsurance strategies in the absence of the counterparty default risk and from optimal reinsurance strategies in the presence of the counterparty default risk but without the regulatory initial capital.     

Accounting for risk aversion in derivatives purchase timing

We study the problem of optimal timing to buy/sell derivatives by a risk-averse agent in incomplete markets. Adopting the exponential utility indifference valuation, we investigate this timing flexibility and the associated delayed purchase premium. This leads to a stochastic control and optimal stopping problem that combines the observed market price dynamics and the agent??s risk preferences. Our results extend recent work on indifference valuation of American options, as well as the authors?? first paper (Leung and Ludkovski, SIAM J Finan Math 2(1) 768?C793, 2011). In the case of Markovian models of contracts on non-traded assets, we provide analytical characterizations and numerical studies of the optimal purchase strategies, with applications to both equity and credit derivatives.     

Optimal risk and liquidity management with costly refinancing opportunities

In this paper we study risk and liquidity management decisions within an insurance firm. Risk management corresponds to decisions regarding proportional reinsurance, whereas liquidity management has two components: distribution of dividends and costly equity issuance. Contingent on whether proportional or fixed costs of reinvestment are considered, singular stochastic control or stochastic impulse control techniques are used to seek strategies that maximize the firm value. We find that, in a proportional-costs setting, the optimal strategies are always mixed in terms of risk management and refinancing. In contrast, when fixed issuance costs are too high relative to the firm’s profitability, optimal management does not involve refinancing. We provide analytical specifications of the optimal strategies, as well as a qualitative analysis of the interaction between refinancing and risk management.     

Optimal investment and risk control policies for an insurer: Expected utility maximization

Motivated by the AIG bailout case in the financial crisis of 2007–2008, we consider an insurer who wants to maximize his/her expected utility of terminal wealth by selecting optimal investment and risk control strategies. The insurer’s risk process is modeled by a jump-diffusion process and is negatively correlated with the capital gains in the financial market. We obtain explicit solutions of optimal strategies for various utility functions.