Utility maximization problem with random endowment and transaction costs: when wealth may become negative

In this article, we study the problem of maximizing expected utility from the terminal wealth with proportional transaction costs and random endowment. In the context of the existence of consistent price systems, we consider the duality between the primal utility maximization problem and the dual one, which is set up on the domain of finitely additive measures. In particular, we prove duality results for utility functions supporting possibly negative values. Moreover, we construct a shadow market by the dual optimal process and consider the utility-based pricing for random endowment.     

Optimal trading strategy for European options with transaction costs

The European option with transaction costs is studied. The cost of making a transaction is taken to be proportional by a factor λ to the value (in dollars) of stock traded. When there are no transaction costs (i.e. when λ=0) the well-known Black-Scholes strategy tells how to hedge the option. Since no non-trivial perfect hedging strategy exists when λ>0 (see (Ann. Appl. Probab. 5(2) (1995) 327)), we instead try to maximize the expected utility attainable. We seek to understand the effect transaction costs have on the maximum attainable expected utility over all strategies, when λ is small but non-zero. It turns out that transaction costs diminish the expected utility by an amount which has the order of magnitude λ^2/3. We will compute that correction explicitly modulo an error which is small compared to λ^2/3. We will exhibit an explicit strategy whose expected utility differs from the maximum attainable expected utility by an error small in comparison to λ^2/3.     

Optimal portfolios of a small investor in a limit order market: a shadow price approach

We study Merton’s portfolio optimization problem in a limit order market. An investor trading in a limit order market has the choice between market orders that allow immediate transactions and limit orders that trade at more favorable prices but are executed only when another market participant places a corresponding market order. Assuming Poisson arrivals of market orders from other traders we use a shadow price approach, similar to Kallsen and Muhle-Karbe (Ann Appl Probab, forthcoming) for models with proportional transaction costs, to show that the optimal strategy consists of using market orders to keep the proportion of wealth invested in the risky asset within certain boundaries, similar to the result for proportional transaction costs, while within these boundaries limit orders are used to profit from the bid–ask spread. Although the given best-bid and best-ask price processes are geometric Brownian motions the resulting shadow price process possesses jumps.     

Efficient portfolios in financial markets with proportional transaction costs

In this article, we characterize efficient portfolios, i.e. portfolios which are optimal for at least one rational agent, in a very general multi-currency financial market model with proportional transaction costs. In our setting, transaction costs may be random, time-dependent, have jumps and the preferences of the agents are modeled by multivariate expected utility functions. We provide a complete characterization of efficient portfolios, generalizing earlier results of Dybvig (Rev Financ Stud 1:67–88, 1988) and Jouini and Kallal (J Econ Theory 66: 178–197, 1995). We basically show that a portfolio is efficient if and only if it is cyclically anticomonotonic with respect to at least one consistent price system that prices it. Finally, we introduce the notion of utility price of a given contingent claim as the minimal amount of a given initial portfolio allowing any agent to reach the claim by trading, and give a dual representation of it as the largest proportion of the market price necessary for all agents to reach the same expected utility level.     

Conjugate duality in problems of constrained utility maximization

We show that a simple and elegant method of Bismut [J. Math. Analysis Appl., 44 (1973), pp. 384–404] for applying conjugate duality to convex problems of Bolza adapts directly to problems of utility maximization with portfolio constraints in mathematical finance. This gives a straightforward construction of an associated dual problem together with Euler–Lagrange and transversality relations, which are then used to establish existence of optimal portfolios in terms of solutions of the dual problem. The approach is completely synthetic, and does not require the rather difficult a priori hypothesis of a fictitious complete market for unconstrained optimization, which has been the standard approach for synthesizing optimal portfolios in problems of utility maximization with trading constraints. It also complements a duality synthesis of Rogers [Lecture Notes in Mathematics, No. LNM-1814, Springer-Verlag, New York, 2003, pp. 95–131] and Klein and Rogers [Math. Finance, 17 (2007), pp. 225–247] for general problems of utility maximization with market imperfections.     

Arbitrage and approximate arbitrage: the fundamental theorem of asset pricing

We consider an incomplete market model where asset prices are modelled by Ito processes, and derive the first fundamental theorem of asset pricing using standard stochastic calculus techniques. This contrasts with the sophisticated functional analytic theorems required in the comprehensive works of F. Delbaen and W. Schachermayer (1993) No Arbitrage and the Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing, pp. 37–38; Math. Finance 4 (1994), pp. 343–348; Math. Ann. 300 (1994), pp. 464–520; Ann. Appl. Probab. 5 (1995), pp. 926–645 and Proc. Sympos. Appl. Math. 57 (1999), pp. 49–58, and the comparative lack of transparency of the associated technical conditions. An additional benefit is that a clear relationship between no arbitrage and the existence of equivalent local martingale measures is also presented.     

A variance bound for a general function of independent noncommutative random variables

The main purpose of this paper is to establish a noncommutative analogue of the Efron-Stein inequality, which bounds the variance of a general function of some independent random variables. Moreover, we state an operator version including random matrices, which extends a result of D. Paulin et al., [Ann. Probab. 44(5) (2016), 3431–3473]. Further, we state a Steele type inequality in the framework of noncommutative probability spaces.     

General financial market model defined by a liquidation value process

Financial market models defined by a liquidation value process generalize the conic models of Schachermayer and Kabanov where the transaction costs are proportional to the exchanged volumes of traded assets. The solvency set of all portfolio positions that can be liquidated without any debt is not necessary convex, e.g. in presence of proportional transaction costs and fixed costs. Therefore, the classical duality principle based on the Hahn–Banach separation theorem is not appropriate to characterize the prices super hedging a contingent claim. Using an alternative method based on the concepts of essential supremum and maximum, we provide a characterization of European and American contingent claim prices under the absence of arbitrage opportunity of the second kind.     

The Number of Generations Entirely Visited for Recurrent Random Walks in a Random Environment

In this paper we deal with a random walk in a random environment on a super-critical Galton–Watson tree. We focus on the recurrent cases already studied by Hu and Shi (Ann. Probab. 35:1978–1997, 2007; Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 138:521–549, 2007), Faraud et al. (Probab. Theory Relat. Fields, 2011, in press), and Faraud (Electron. J. Probab. 16(6):174–215, 2011). We prove that the largest generation entirely visited by these walks behaves like logn, and that the constant of normalization, which differs from one case to another, is a function of the inverse of the constant of Biggins’ law of large numbers for branching random walks (Biggins in Adv. Appl. Probab. 8:446–459, 1976).     

On the size of a finite vacant cluster of random interlacements with small intensity

In this paper, we establish some properties of percolation for the vacant set of random interlacements, for d ?? 5 and small intensity u. The model of random interlacements was first introduced by Sznitman in (Ann Math, arXiv:0704.2560, 2010). It is known that, for small u, almost surely there is a unique infinite connected component in the vacant set left by the random interlacements at level u, see Sidoravicius and Sznitman (Commun Pure Appl Math 62(6):831?C858, 2009) and Teixeira (Ann Appl Probab 19(1):454?C466, 2009). We estimate here the distribution of the diameter and the volume of the vacant component at level u containing the origin, given that it is finite. This comes as a by-product of our main theorem, which proves a stretched exponential bound on the probability that the interlacement set separates two macroscopic connected sets in a large cube. As another application, we show that with high probability, the unique infinite connected component of the vacant set is ??ubiquitous?? in large neighborhoods of the origin.     

Utility maximization in markets with bid–ask spreads

A one-period financial market model with transaction costs is considered in this paper. Redefining the risky asset price process in a suitable way, we obtain an explicit solution to the utility maximization problem when the risk preferences of the investor are based on the exponential utility function and a liability can be included in her portfolio. The arbitrage-free interval price for a general liability, as well as its replication price, is characterized in terms of expectations with respect to equivalent martingale measures. The indifference price is derived and its asymptotic limit when the risk aversion is going to infinity is analysed.     

Group-Theoretic Dimension of Stationary Symmetric α-Stable Random Fields

The growth rate of the partial maximum of a stationary stable process was first studied in the works of Samorodnitsky (Ann. Probab. 32:1438–1468, 2004; Adv. Appl. Probab. 36:805–823, 2004), where it was established, based on the seminal works of Rosiński (Ann. Probab. 23:1163–1187, 1995; 28:1797–1813, 2000), that the growth rate is connected to the ergodic-theoretic properties of the flow that generates the process. The results were generalized to the case of stable random fields indexed by ? ^d in Roy and Samorodnitsky (J. Theor. Probab. 21:212–233, 2008), where properties of the group of nonsingular transformations generating the stable process were studied as an attempt to understand the growth rate of the partial maximum process. This work generalizes this connection between stable random fields and group theory to the continuous parameter case, that is, to fields indexed by ? ^d .     

Asymptotic power utility-based pricing and hedging

Kramkov and Sîrbu (Ann. Appl. Probab., 16:2140–2194, 2006; Stoch. Proc. Appl., 117:1606–1620, 2017) have shown that first-order approximations of power utility-based prices and hedging strategies for a small number of claims can be computed by solving a mean-variance hedging problem under a specific equivalent martingale measure and relative to a suitable numeraire. For power utilities, we propose an alternative representation that avoids the change of numeraire. More specifically, we characterize the relevant quantities using semimartingale characteristics similarly as in ?erný and Kallsen (Ann. Probab., 35:1479–1531, 2007) for mean-variance hedging. These results are illustrated by applying them to exponential Lévy processes and stochastic volatility models of Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard type (J. R. Stat. Soc. B, 63:167–241, 2001). We find that asymptotic utility-based hedges are virtually independent of the investor’s risk aversion. Moreover, the price adjustments compared to the Black–Scholes model turn out to be almost linear in the investor’s risk aversion, and surprisingly small unless very high levels of risk aversion are considered.     

Precise large deviations for dependent regularly varying sequences

We study a precise large deviation principle for a stationary regularly varying sequence of random variables. This principle extends the classical results of Nagaev (Theory Probab Appl 14:51–64, 193–208, 1969) and Nagaev (Ann Probab 7:745–789, 1979) for iid regularly varying sequences. The proof uses an idea of Jakubowski (Stoch Proc Appl 44:291–327, 1993; 68:1–20, 1997) in the context of central limit theorems with infinite variance stable limits. We illustrate the principle for stochastic volatility models, real valued functions of a Markov chain satisfying a polynomial drift condition and solutions of linear and non-linear stochastic recurrence equations.     

Convexity and Smoothness of Scale Functions and de Finetti’s Control Problem

We continue the recent work of Avram et al. (Ann. Appl. Probab. 17:156–180, 2007) and Loeffen (Ann. Appl. Probab., 2007) by showing that whenever the Lévy measure of a spectrally negative Lévy process has a density which is log-convex then the solution of the associated actuarial control problem of de Finetti is solved by a barrier strategy. Moreover, the level of the barrier can be identified in terms of the scale function of the underlying Lévy process. Our method appeals directly to very recent developments in the theory of potential analysis of subordinators and their application to convexity and smoothness properties of the relevant scale functions.     

Central Limit Theorem for Lipschitz–Killing Curvatures of Excursion Sets of Gaussian Random Fields

Our interest in this paper is to explore limit theorems for various geometric functionals of excursion sets of isotropic Gaussian random fields. In the past, asymptotics of nonlinear functionals of Gaussian random fields have been studied [see Berman (Sojourns and extremes of stochastic processes, Wadsworth & Brooks, Monterey, 1991), Kratz and León (Extremes 3(1):57–86, 2000), Kratz and León (J Theor Probab 14(3):639–672, 2001), Meshenmoser and Shashkin (Stat Probab Lett 81(6):642–646, 2011), Pham (Stoch Proc Appl 123(6):2158–2174, 2013), Spodarev (Chapter in modern stochastics and applications, volume 90 of the series Springer optimization and its applications, pp 221–241, 2013) for a sample of works in such settings], the most recent addition being (Adler and Naitzat in Stoch Proc Appl 2016; Estrade and León in Ann Probab 2016) where a central limit theorem (CLT) for Euler integral and Euler–Poincaré characteristic, respectively, of the excursions set of a Gaussian random field is proven under some conditions. In this paper, we obtain a CLT for some global geometric functionals, called the Lipschitz–Killing curvatures of excursion sets of Gaussian random fields, in an appropriate setting.     

Moderate deviations for neutral functional stochastic differential equations driven by Levy noises

Using the weak convergence method introduced by A. Budhiraja, P. Dupuis, and A. Ganguly [Ann. Probab., 2016, 44: 1723{1775], we establish the moderate deviation principle for neutral functional stochastic differential equations driven by both Brownian motions and Poisson random measures.     

The Limit Distribution of the Largest Interpoint Distance from a Symmetric Kotz Sample

Generalizing recent work of P. C. Matthews and A. L. Rukhin (Ann. Appl. Probab.3(1993), 454–466), we obtain the limit law of the largest interpoint Euclidean distance for a spherically symmetric multivariate sample of the Kotz distribution. While going through the proof, some errors in the reasoning given by Matthews and Rukhin are pointed out and corrected.     

Convergence to extremal processes in random environments and extremal ageing in SK models

This paper extends recent results on ageing in mean field spin glasses on short time scales, obtained by Ben Arous and Gün (Commun Pure Appl Math 65:77–127, 2012) in law with respect to the environment, to results that hold almost surely, respectively in probability, with respect to the environment. It is based on the methods put forward in (Gayrard in Aging in reversible dynamics of disordered systems. II. Emergence of the arcsine law in the random hopping time dynamics of the REM, 2010; Electron J Probab 17(58): 1–33, 2012) and naturally complements (Bovier and Gayrard in Ann Probab, 2012).