A comparison of numerical solutions of fractional diffusion models in finance

We compare the numerical solutions of three fractional partial differential equations that occur in finance. These fractional partial differential equations fall in the class of Lévy models. They are known as the FMLS (Finite Moment Log Stable), CGMY and KoBol models. Conditions for the convergence of each of these models is obtained.     

Variational formulations for transmission problems of the electromagnetic field

The subject of this article is a review of all possible transmission problems for electromagnetic phenomena. In particular, we study the case of a perfect dielectric and a perfect conductor via a (formal) limit with conductivity approaching zero or infinity and discuss the expected regularity of the involved unknowns. Finally, we formulate equivalent variational formulations for each considered problem.     

Finite difference approximations and dynamics simulations for the Lévy Fractional Klein‐Kramers equation

The Klein‐Kramers equation describes position and velocity distribution of Langevin dynamics, the diffusion equation and Fokker‐Planck equation are its special cases for characterizing position distribution and velocity distribution, respectively. Incorporating the mechanisms of Lévy flights into the Klein‐Kramers formalism leads to the Lévy fractional Klein‐Kramers equation, which can effectively describe Lévy flights in the presence of an external force field in the phase space. For numerically solving the Lévy fractional Klein‐Kramers equation, this article presents the explicit and implicit finite difference schemes. The discrete maximum principle is generalized, using this result the detailed stability and convergence analyses of the schemes are given. And the extrapolation and some other possible techniques for improving the convergent rate or making the schemes efficient in more general cases are also discussed. The extensive numerical experiments are performed to confirm the effectiveness of the numerical schemes or simulate the superdiffusion processes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2011     

A remark on the definitions of viscosity solutions for the integro-differential equations with Lévy operators

We prove the equivalence of the three different definitions of the viscosity solution for the integro-differential equation with the Lévy operator. The two of the definitions are known in the preceding works of the author and the others, and the last one is new. A construction of a sequence of the approximating test functions to the subsolution (or the supersolution) is indispensable for the proof, and it is done explicitly in the paper.     

A numerical technique for solving fractional variational problems

This paper presents an accurate numerical method for solving a class of fractional variational problems (FVPs). The fractional derivative in these problems is in the Caputo sense. The proposed method is called fractional Chebyshev finite difference method. In this technique, we approximate FVPs and end up with a finite‐dimensional problem. The method is based on the combination of the useful properties of Chebyshev polynomials approximation and finite difference method. The Caputo fractional derivative is replaced by a difference quotient and the integral by a finite sum. The fractional derivative approximation using Clenshaw and Curtis formula introduced here, along with Clenshaw and Curtis procedure for the numerical integration of a non‐singular functions and the Rayleigh–Ritz method for the constrained extremum, is considered. By this method, the given problem is reduced to the problem for solving a system of algebraic equations, and by solving this system, we obtain the solution of FVPs. Special attention is given to study the convergence analysis and evaluate an error upper bound of the obtained approximate formula. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed technique. A comparison with another method is given. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general finite element formulation for fractional variational problems

This paper presents a general finite element formulation for a class of Fractional Variational Problems (FVPs). The fractional derivative is defined in the Riemann-Liouville sense. For FVPs the Euler-Lagrange and the transversality conditions are developed. In the Fractional Finite Element Formulation (FFEF) presented here, the domain of the equations is divided into several elements, and the functional is approximated in terms of nodal variables. Minimization of this functional leads to a set of algebraic equations which are solved using a numerical scheme. Three examples are considered to show the performance of the algorithm. Results show that as the number of discretization is increased, the numerical solutions approach the analytical solutions, and as the order of the derivative approaches an integer value, the solution for the integer order system is recovered. For unspecified boundary conditions, the numerical solutions satisfy the transversality conditions. This indicates that for the class of problems considered, the numerical solutions can be obtained directly from the functional, and there is no need to solve the fractional Euler-Lagrange equations. Thus, the formulation extends the traditional finite element approach to FVPs.     

A numerical technique for solving a class of fractional variational problems

This paper presents a numerical method for solving a class of fractional variational problems (FVPs) with multiple dependent variables, multi order fractional derivatives and a group of boundary conditions. The fractional derivative in the problem is in the Caputo sense. In the presented method, the given optimization problem reduces to a system of algebraic equations using polynomial basis functions. An approximate solution for the FVP is achieved by solving the system. The choice of polynomial basis functions provides the method with such a flexibility that initial and boundary conditions can be easily imposed. We extensively discuss the convergence of the method and finally present illustrative examples to demonstrate validity and applicability of the new technique.     

Preconditioned iterative methods for fractional diffusion models in finance

Most recent qualitative models for financial assets assume that the dynamics of underlying equity prices follows a jump or Lévy process. It has been evident that some most intricate characteristics of such dynamics can be captured by CGMY and KoBoL procedures. The prices of financial derivatives with such models satisfy fractional partial differential equations or partial integro‐differential equations. This study focuses at aforementioned fractional equations and discretizes them via a monotone Crank–Nicolson procedure. A spatial extrapolation strategy is introduced to ensure an overall second‐order accuracy in approximations. Preconditioned conjugate gradient normal residual methods are incorporated for solving resulted linear systems. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the novel computational approaches implemented. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 1382–1395, 2015     

Variational iteration method for solving the space‐ and time‐fractional KdV equation

This paper presents numerical solutions for the space‐ and time‐fractional Korteweg–de Vries equation (KdV for short) using the variational iteration method. The space‐ and time‐fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense. In this method, general Lagrange multipliers are introduced to construct correction functionals for the problems. The multipliers in the functionals can be identified optimally via variational theory. The iteration method, which produces the solutions in terms of convergent series with easily computable components, requiring no linearization or small perturbation. The numerical results show that the approach is easy to implement and accurate when applied to space‐ and time‐fractional KdV equations. The method introduces a promising tool for solving many space–time fractional partial differential equations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2007     

Variational formulation of the material failure process in solids by embedded discontinuities model

This work presents a variational formulation of the material failure process, idealized as strain or displacement discontinuities, by weak, strong, or discrete embedded discontinuities into a continuum. It is shown that the solution of the proposed variational formulation may be approximated by different types of finite elements with embedded discontinuities. The developed displacement approximation of a finite element split by the discontinuity leads to a symmetric stiffness matrix, which considers not only the continuity of tractions but also the rigid body relative motions of the portions in which the element is split. The variational formulation of a continuum with more than one discontinuity in its interior is developed. It is shown that this formulation may lead to finite elements with embedded discontinuities that can be classified as displacement, force, mixed, and hybrid models. To show the effectiveness of the proposed formulation, the classical example of a bar under tension is solved using one and 2D finite element approximations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2009     

A locally risk-minimizing hedging strategy for unit-linked life insurance contracts in a Lévy process financial market

In [Riesner, M., 2006. Hedging life insurance contracts in a Lévy process financial market. Insurance Math. Econom. 38, 599–608] the (locally) risk-minimizing hedging strategy for unit-linked life insurance contracts is determined in an incomplete financial market driven by a Lévy process. The considered risky asset is not a martingale under the original measure and therefore, a change of measure to the minimal martingale measure is performed.The goal of this paper is to show that the risk-minimizing hedging strategy under the new martingale measure which is found in the paper cited above is not the locally risk-minimizing strategy under the original measure. Finally, the real locally risk-minimizing strategy is derived and a relationship between the number of risky assets held in the proposed portfolio cited in the above-mentioned paper and the one proposed here is given.     

Variational formulation for the stationary fractional advection dispersion equation

In this article a theoretical framework for the Galerkin finite element approximation to the steady state fractional advection dispersion equation is presented. Appropriate fractional derivative spaces are defined and shown to be equivalent to the usual fractional dimension Sobolev spaces H^s. Existence and uniqueness results are proven, and error estimates for the Galerkin approximation derived. Numerical results are included that confirm the theoretical estimates. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005     

Estimates of densities for Lévy processes with lower intensity of large jumps

We obtain general lower estimates of transition densities of jump Lévy processes. We use them for processes with Lévy measures having bounded support, processes with exponentially decaying Lévy measures for large times and for processes with high intensity of small jumps for small times.     

Explicit portfolio for unit-linked life insurance contracts with surrender option

Introducing a surrender option in unit-linked life insurance contracts leads to a dependence between the surrender time and the financial market. [J. Barbarin, Risk minimizing strategies for life insurance contracts with surrender option, Tech. rep., University of Louvain-La-Neuve, 2007] used a lot of concepts from credit risk to describe the surrender time in order to hedge such types of contracts. The basic assumption made by Barbarin is that the surrender time is not a stopping time with respect to the financial market.The goal of this article is to make the hedging strategies more explicit by introducing concrete processes for the risky asset and by restricting the hazard process to an absolutely continuous process.First, we assume that the risky asset follows a geometric Brownian motion. This extends the theory of [T. Møller, Risk-minimizing hedging strategies for insurance payment processes, Finance and Stochastics 5 (2001) 419–446], in that the random times of payment are not independent of the financial market. Second, the risky asset follows a Lévy process.For both cases, we assume the payment process contains a continuous payment stream until surrender or maturity and a payment at surrender or at maturity, whichever comes first.     

Small-time expansions for the transition distributions of Lévy processes

Let X=(X_t)_t≥0 be a Lévy process with absolutely continuous Lévy measure ν. Small-time expansions of arbitrary polynomial order in t are obtained for the tails , y>0, of the process, assuming smoothness conditions on the Lévy density away from the origin. By imposing additional regularity conditions on the transition density p_t of X_t, an explicit expression for the remainder of the approximation is also given. As a byproduct, polynomial expansions of order n in t are derived for the transition densities of the process. The conditions imposed on p_t require that, away from the origin, its derivatives remain uniformly bounded as t→0. Such conditions are then shown to be satisfied for symmetric stable Lévy processes as well as some tempered stable Lévy processes such as the CGMY one. The expansions seem to correct the asymptotics previously reported in the literature.     

Hölder Exponent for a Two-Parameter Lévy Process

We study the regularity of a two-parameter Lévy process in the neighbourhood of a fixed point and then we compute the Hölder exponent of such a process.     

An optimal dividends problem with transaction costs for spectrally negative Lévy processes

We consider an optimal dividends problem with transaction costs where the reserves are modeled by a spectrally negative Lévy process. We make the connection with the classical de Finetti problem and show in particular that when the Lévy measure has a log-convex density, then an optimal strategy is given by paying out a dividend in such a way that the reserves are reduced to a certain level c₁ whenever they are above another level c₂. Further we describe a method to numerically find the optimal values of c₁ and c₂.     

Large deviations estimates for some non-local equations: Fast decaying kernels and explicit bounds

We study large deviations for some non-local parabolic type equations. We show that, under some assumptions on the non-local term, problems defined in a bounded domain converge with an exponential rate to the solution of the problem defined in the whole space. We compute this rate in different examples, with different kernels defining the non-local term, and it turns out that the estimate of convergence depends strongly on the decay at infinity of that kernel.     

New efficient numerical procedures for solving stochastic variational problems with a priori maximum pointwise error estimates

In a previous paper we gave a new formulation and derived the Euler equations and other necessary conditions to solve strong, pathwise, stochastic variational problems with trajectories driven by Brownian motion. Thus, unlike current methods which minimize the control over deterministic functionals (the expected value), we find the control which gives the critical point solution of random functionals of a Brownian path and then, if we choose, find the expected value.This increase in information is balanced by the fact that our methods are anticipative while current methods are not. However, our methods are more directly connected to the theory and meaningful examples of deterministic variational theory and provide better means of solution for free and constrained problems. In addition, examples indicate that there are methods to obtain nonanticipative solutions from our equations although the anticipative optimal cost function has smaller expected value.In this paper we give new, efficient numerical methods to find the solution of these problems in the quadratic case. Of interest is that our numerical solution has a maximal, a priori, pointwise error of O(h3/2) where h is the node size. We believe our results are unique for any theory of stochastic control and that our methods of proof involve new and sophisticated ideas for strong solutions which extend previous deterministic results by the first author where the error was O(h²).We note that, although our solutions are given in terms of stochastic differential equations, we are not using the now standard numerical methods for stochastic differential equations. Instead we find an approximation to the critical point solution of the variational problem using relations derived from setting to zero the directional derivative of the cost functional in the direction of simple test functions.Our results are even more significant than they first appear because we can reformulate stochastic control problems or constrained calculus of variations problems in the unconstrained, stochastic calculus of variations formulation of this paper. This will allow us to find efficient and accurate numerical solutions for general constrained, stochastic optimization problems. This is not yet being done, even in the deterministic case, except by the first author.