The efficient frontier for bounded assets

This paper develops a closed form solution of the mean-variance portfolio selection problem for uncorrelated and bounded assets when an additional technical assumption is satisfied. Although the assumption of uncorrelated assets is unduly restrictive, the explicit determination of the efficient asset holdings in the presence of bound constraints gives insight into the nature of the efficient frontier. The mean-variance portfolio selection problem considered here deals with the budget constraint and lower bounds or the budget constraint and upper bounds. For the mean-variance portfolio selection problem dealing with lower bounds the closed form solution is derived for two cases: a universe of only risky assets and a universe of risky assets plus an additional asset which is risk free. For the mean-variance portfolio selection problem dealing with upper bounds, the results presented are for a universe consisting only of risky assets. In each case, the order in which the assets are driven to their bounds depends on the ordering of their expected returns.     

不确定条件下具有容差项的Markowitz证券组合投资模型的最优化解法

在分析证券市场中证券组合投资不确定性质的基础上,通过对Markowitz模型中证券期望收益与方差引入容差项来度量证券市场的不确定性,建立了不确定条件下具有容差项的Markowitz证券组合投资模型;分类讨论了容差的上界与下界所对应的两类有效组合前沿,得到了不确定条件下的证券组合投资模型的最优化解法及相关定理;最后给出了一个具体的数值实例．     

Portfolio Selection and Transactions Costs

This paper deals with the portfolio selection problem of risky assets with a diagonal covariance matrix, upper bounds on all assets and transactions costs. An algorithm for its solution is formulated which terminates in a number of iterations that is at most three times the number of assets. The efficient portfolios, under appropriate assumptions, are shown to have the following structure. As the risk tolerance parameter increases, an asset's holdings increases to its target, then stays there for a while, then increases to its upper bound, reaches it and stays there. Then the holdings of the asset with the next highest expected return proceeds in a similar way and so on.     

Robust portfolio choice with CVaR and VaR under distribution and mean return ambiguity

We consider the problem of optimal portfolio choice using the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) and Value-at-Risk (VaR) measures for a market consisting of n risky assets and a riskless asset and where short positions are allowed. When the distribution of returns of risky assets is unknown but the mean return vector and variance/covariance matrix of the risky assets are fixed, we derive the distributionally robust portfolio rules. Then, we address uncertainty (ambiguity) in the mean return vector in addition to distribution ambiguity, and derive the optimal portfolio rules when the uncertainty in the return vector is modeled via an ellipsoidal uncertainty set. In the presence of a riskless asset, the robust CVaR and VaR measures, coupled with a minimum mean return constraint, yield simple, mean-variance efficient optimal portfolio rules. In a market without the riskless asset, we obtain a closed-form portfolio rule that generalizes earlier results, without a minimum mean return restriction.     

选择资产组合的EP-MV模型及最优解的解析表示

本文提出了存在无风险资产贷出或借入时的有效投资组合模型(EP-MV模型)，研究了不允许卖空(投资比例非负)约束条件下，EP-MV优化模型的算法，给出了有效投资组合投资比例的解析表示．在资产收益由多因素模型产生的基础上，得到了资产与有效投资组合的期望收益及风险的估计，便于实际应用．     

跳扩散市场投资组合研究

研究了连续时间动态均值-方差投资组合选择问题.假设风险资产价格服从跳跃-扩散过程且具有卖空约束.投资者的目标是在给定期望终止时刻财富条件下,最小化终止时刻财富的方差.通过求解模型相应的Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellmen方程,得到了最优投资策略及有效前沿的显示解.结果显示,风险资产的卖空约束及价格过程的跳跃因素对最优投资策略及有效前沿的是不可忽略的.     

Portfolio analysis—an analytic derivation of the efficient portfolio frontier

In this paper the efficient portfolio frontier is derived explicitly for cases in which short sales are not allowed. When all securities are risky it is shown that the efficient portfolio frontier consist of a series of monotonously increasing arcs of convex parabolas in the return-variance plane. If the efficient portfolio frontier of risky securities are known, the efficient frontier can easily be revealed when there is a riskless security. An upper limit on borrowing is also introduced.     

协方差矩阵退化情形均值-CVaR模型的有效边界

本文利用CVaR方法代替方差或CVaR来度量风险,建立了均值-CVaR模型,首先利用等CVaR线的方法研究了包含无风险资产的均值-CVaR模型的有效边界,然后在无套利假设下研究了当风险资产的协方差矩阵是奇异时的均值-CVaR模型,并得到了正态情形下模型的有效边界及其解析表达式.     

Static and dynamic VaR constrained portfolios with application to delegated portfolio management

We give a closed-form solution to the single-period portfolio selection problem with a Value-at-Risk (VaR) constraint in the presence of a set of risky assets with multivariate normally distributed returns and the risk-less account, without short sales restrictions. The result allows to obtain a very simple, myopic dynamic portfolio policy in the multiple period version of the problem. We also consider mean-variance portfolios under a probabilistic chance (VaR) constraint and give an explicit solution. We use this solution to calculate explicitly the bonus of a portfolio manager to include a VaR constraint in his/her portfolio optimization, which we refer to as the price of a VaR constraint.     

t-分布与不同风险度量下有效投资组合及其边缘的相互关系研究

In order to study the effect of different risk measures on the efficient portfolios (frontier) while properly describing the characteristic of return distributions in the stock market, it is assumed in this paper that the joint return distribution of risky assets obeys the multivariate t-distribution. Under the mean-risk analysis framework, the interrelationship of efficient portfolios (frontier) based on risk measures such as variance, value at risk (VaR), and expected shortfall (ES) is analyzed and compared. It is proved that, when there is no riskless asset in the market, the efficient frontier under VaR or ES is a subset of the mean-variance (MV) efficient frontier, and the efficient portfolios under VaR or ES are also MV efficient; when there exists a riskless asset in the market, a portfolio is MV efficient if and only if it is a VaR or ES efficient portfolio. The obtained results generalize relevant conclusions about investment theory, and can better guide investors to make their investment decision.     

STUDY ON THE INTERRELATION OF EFFICIENT PORTFOLIOS AND THEIR FRONTIER UNDER t DISTRIBUTION AND VARIOUS RISK MEASURES

In order to study the effect of different risk measures on the efficient portfolios (frontier) while properly describing the characteristic of return distributions in the stock market, it is assumed in this paper that the joint return distribution of risky assets obeys the multivari-ate t-distribution. Under the mean-risk analysis framework, the interrelationship of efficient portfolios (frontier) based on risk measures such as variance, value at risk (VaR), and expected shortfall (ES) is analyzed and compared. It is proved that, when there is no riskless asset in the market, the efficient frontier under VaR or ES is a subset of the mean-variance (MV) efficient frontier, and the efficient portfolios under VaR or ES are also MV efficient; when there exists a riskless asset in the market, a portfolio is MV efficient if and only if it is a VaR or ES efficient portfolio. The obtained results generalize relevant conclusions about investment theory, and can better guide investors to make their investment decision.     

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.     

Non-separation in the mean–lower-partial-moment portfolio optimization problem

With a number of advantages, lower partial moments (LPM) serve as alternatives to variance as measures of portfolio risk. For two specific targets, a separation property holds in the context of mean–LPM portfolio optimization that allows investors to separate the decision about investment proportions among risky assets from the decision about how much to invest in risky versus risk-free assets. For other targets, however, separation is not guaranteed, and this case has not received much attention in the literature. We show in the case of non-separation that investment curves are not common to all optimizing investors, but that they are convex in (mean, LPM) space and their lower envelope is the efficient frontier. We consider the interesting behavior of investment curves and optimal risky portfolios. We also show empirically that an investor who mistakenly assumes separation holds will not experience significant excess portfolio risk in all practical cases.     

Integrated insurance risk models with exponential Lévy investment

We consider an insurance risk model for the cashflow of an insurance company, which invests its reserve into a portfolio consisting of risky and riskless assets. The price of the risky asset is modeled by an exponential Lévy process. We derive the integrated risk process and the corresponding discounted net loss process. We calculate certain quantities as characteristic functions and moments. We also show under weak conditions stationarity of the discounted net loss process and derive the left and right tail behavior of the model. Our results show that the model carries a high risk, which may originate either from large insurance claims or from the risky investment.     

STUDY ON THE INTERRELATION OF EFFICIENT PORTFOLIOS AND THEIR FRONTIER UNDER t DISTRIBUTION AND VARIOUS RISK MEASUREgS

In order to study the effect of different risk measures on the efficient portfolios （fron- tier） while properly describing the characteristic of return distributions in the stock market, it is assumed in this paper that the joint return distribution of risky assets obeys the multivariate t-distribution. Under the mean-risk analysis framework, the interrelationship of efficient portfolios （frontier） based on risk measures such as variance, value at risk （VaR）, and expected shortfall （ES） is analyzed and compared. It is proved that, when there is no riskless asset in the market, the efficient frontier under VaR or ES is a subset of the mean-variance （MV） efficient frontier, and the efficient portfolios under VaR or ES are also MV efficient; when there exists a riskless asset in the market, a portfolio is MV efficient if and only if it is a VaR or ES efficient portfolio. The obtained results generalize relevant conclusions about investment theory, and can better guide investors to make their investment decision.     

贝叶斯方法在养老基金资产负债管理中的应用

把一个静态资产负债管理模型———均值方差模型应用到定额给付养老金计划的资产负债管理中,在允许无风险借贷的条件下研究养老金在无风险资产和风险资产间的分配问题,用定量分析的方法求出了最优投资组合的一般形式;又针对投资收益率特征参数未知的情况,提出了矩估计和贝叶斯估计两种方法求解最优资本配置比例,将两种方法的结果与一般形式对比,分析了影响最优投资组合的因素,得知养老基金在风险资产中的投资比例与基金经理对风险的厌恶程度、风险资产的风险益酬、风险资产收益率的波动性成负相关关系;并且随决策者掌握的历史信息增加,在风险资产上的投资比例也随之增加,投资行为逐渐趋于理性化;对上述结果进行仿真,验证了结论的有效性。     

Equal Risk Bounding is better than Risk Parity for portfolio selection

Risk Parity (RP), also called equally weighted risk contribution, is a recent approach to risk diversification for portfolio selection. RP is based on the principle that the fractions of the capital invested in each asset should be chosen so as to make the total risk contributions of all assets equal among them. We show here that the Risk Parity approach is theoretically dominated by an alternative similar approach that does not actually require equally weighted risk contribution of all assets but only an equal upper bound on all such risks. This alternative approach, called Equal Risk Bounding (ERB), requires the solution of a nonconvex quadratically constrained optimization problem. The ERB approach, while starting from different requirements, turns out to be strictly linked to the RP approach. Indeed, when short selling is allowed, we prove that an ERB portfolio is actually an RP portfolio with minimum variance. When short selling is not allowed, there is a unique RP portfolio and it contains all assets in the market. In this case, the ERB approach might lead to the RP portfolio or it might lead to portfolios with smaller variance that do not contain all assets, and where the risk contributions of each asset included in the portfolio is strictly smaller than in the RP portfolio. We define a new riskiness index for assets that allows to identify those assets that are more likely to be excluded from the ERB portfolio. With these tools we then provide an exact method for small size nonconvex ERB models and a very efficient and accurate heuristic for larger problems of this type. In the case of a common constant pairwise correlation among all assets, a closed form solution to the ERB model is obtained and used to perform a parametric analysis when varying the level of correlation. The practical advantages of the ERB approach over the RP strategy are illustrated with some numerical examples. Computational experience on real-world and on simulated data confirms accuracy and efficiency of our heuristic approach to the ERB model also in comparison with some state-of-the-art local and global optimization codes.     

Portfolio selection with a minimax measure in safety constraint

In this paper, we attempt to design a portfolio optimization model for investors who desire to minimize the variation around the mean return and at the same time wish to achieve better return than the worst possible return realization at every time point in a single period portfolio investment. The portfolio is to be selected from the risky assets in the equity market. Since the minimax portfolio optimization model provides us with the portfolio that maximizes (minimizes) the worst return (worst loss) realization in the investment horizon period, in order to safeguard the interest of investors, the optimal value of the minimax optimization model is used to design a constraint in the mean-absolute semideviation model. This constraint can be viewed as a safety strategy adopted by an investor. Thus, our proposed bi-objective linear programming model involves mean return as a reward and mean-absolute semideviation as a risk in the objective function and minimax as a safety constraint, which enables a trade off between return and risk with a fixed safety value. The efficient frontier of the model is generated using the augmented -constraint method on the GAMS software. We simultaneously solve the ratio optimization problem which maximizes the ratio of mean return over mean-absolute semideviation with same minimax value in the safety constraint. Subsequently, we choose two portfolios on the above generated efficient frontier such that the risk from one of them is less and the mean return from other portfolio is more than the respective quantities of the optimal portfolio from the ratio optimization model. Extensive computational results and in-sample and out-of-sample analysis are provided to compare the financial performance of the optimal portfolios selected by our proposed model with that of the optimal portfolios from the existing minimax and mean-absolute semideviation portfolio optimization models on real data from S&P CNX Nifty index.     

Projection Pricing

A significant problem in modern finance theory is how to price assets whose payoffs are outside the span of marketed assets. In practice, prices of assets are often assigned by using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). If the market portfolio is efficient, the price obtained this way is equal to the price of an asset whose payoff, viewed as a vector in a Hilbert space of random variables, is projected orthogonally onto the space of marketed assets. This paper looks at the pricing problem from this projection viewpoint. It is shown that the results of the CAPM formula are duplicated by a formula based on the minimum-norm portfolio, and this pricing formula is valid even in cases when there is no efficient portfolio of risky assets. The relation of the pricing to other aspects of projection are also developed. In particular, a new pricing formula, called the correlation pricing formula, is developed that yields the same price as the CAPM, but is likely to be more accurate and more convenient than the CAPM in some cases.     

限制投资下界的风险证券有效组合模型及算法研究

本文研究了具有投资下界限制的风险证券有限组合决策问题，提出了限制投资下界的风险证券有效组合优化模型，在一定的条件下，给出了风险证券有限组合投资比例的算法及解析表示，最后进行了实际数值计算，结果说明了所给算法是有效和实用的。