Beyond Black-Scholes: semimartingales and Lévy processes for option pricing

We consider the problem of option pricing when the underlying asset follows a general semimartingale process. After reviewing the foundations of arbitrage pricing theory for semimartingales and the link with Lévy processes, we introduce a general method to price options in this framework based on Fourier and Wavelet analysis. Received 4 September 2000     

A nonextensive approach to the dynamics of financial observables

We present results about financial market observables, specifically returns and traded volumes. They are obtained within the current nonextensive statistical mechanical framework based on the entropy . More precisely, we present stochastic dynamical mechanisms which mimic probability density functions empirically observed. These mechanisms provide possible interpretations for the emergence of the entropic indices q in the time evolution of the corresponding observables. In addition to this, through multi-fractal analysis of return time series, we verify that the dual relation q_stat+q_sens=2 is numerically satisfied, q_stat and q_sens being associated to the probability density function and to the sensitivity to initial conditions respectively. This type of simple relation, whose understanding remains ellusive, has been empirically verified in various other systems.     

Clusters in weighted macroeconomic networks: the EU case. Introducing the overlapping index of GDP/capita fluctuation correlations

GDP/capita correlations are investigated in various time windows (TW), for the time interval 1990–2005. The target group of countries is the set of 25 EU members, 15 till 2004 plus the 10 countries which joined EU later on. The TW-means of the statistical correlation coefficients are taken as the weights (links) of a fully connected network having the countries as nodes. Thereafter we define and introduce the overlapping index of weighted network nodes. A cluster structure of EU countries is derived from the statistically relevant eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the adjacency matrix. This may be considered to yield some information about the structure, stability and evolution of the EU country clusters in a macroeconomic sense.     

Small scale behavior of financial data

A new approach is presented to describe the change in the statistics of the log return distribution of financial data as a function of the timescale. To this purpose a measure is introduced, which quantifies the distance of a considered distribution to a reference distribution. The existence of a small timescale regime is demonstrated, which exhibits different properties compared to the normal timescale regime for timescales larger than one minute. This regime seems to be universal for individual stocks. It is shown that the existence of this small timescale regime is not dependent on the special choice of the distance measure or the reference distribution. These findings have important implications for risk analysis, in particular for the probability of extreme events.     

”Illusion of control” in Time-Horizon Minority and Parrondo Games

Human beings like to believe they are in control of their destiny. This ubiquitous trait seems to increase motivation and persistence, and is probably evolutionarily adaptive [J.D. Taylor, S.E. Brown, Psych. Bull. 103, 193 (1988); A. Bandura, Self-efficacy: the exercise of control (WH Freeman, New York, 1997)]. But how good really is our ability to control? How successful is our track record in these areas? There is little understanding of when and under what circumstances we may over-estimate [E. Langer, J. Pers. Soc. Psych. 7, 185 (1975)] or even lose our ability to control and optimize outcomes, especially when they are the result of aggregations of individual optimization processes. Here, we demonstrate analytically using the theory of Markov Chains and by numerical simulations in two classes of games, the Time-Horizon Minority Game [M.L. Hart, P. Jefferies, N.F. Johnson, Phys. A 311, 275 (2002)] and the Parrondo Game [J.M.R. Parrondo, G.P. Harmer, D. Abbott, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 5226 (2000); J.M.R. Parrondo, How to cheat a bad mathematician (ISI, Italy, 1996)], that agents who optimize their strategy based on past information may actually perform worse than non-optimizing agents. In other words, low-entropy (more informative) strategies under-perform high-entropy (or random) strategies. This provides a precise definition of the “illusion of control” in certain set-ups a priori defined to emphasize the importance of optimization. An erratum to this article is available at .     

我国土地财政变化的时空特征及影响因素分析

基于2000—2010年省级数据,对我国土地财政变化特征及影响因素进行了分析.研究表明:我国土地财政规模与土地财政依赖度均呈大幅上升之势;土地财政收入由土地间接税收为主转变为土地经营收入为主;土地财政规模与土地财政依赖度省际差异明显,且呈东、中、西部递减趋势;省级土地财政规模与土地财政依赖度空间分异格局相似度较高,且变化缓慢;地方政府财政压力、经济增长、土地供应结构与土地价格、国家宏观调控政策是影响我国土地财政变化的主要因素.研究结论:通过经济结构调整、经济发展方式转变,减少东部经济发达地区对土地财政的依赖是治理土地财政问题的当务之急;深化财税体制改革,完善地方政府政绩考核体制,减弱地方政府开拓\"土地财政\"的动力是治理土地财政问题的根本.     

Exact solutions for network rewiring models

Evolving networks with a constant number of edges may be modelled using a rewiring process. These models are used to describe many real-world processes including the evolution of cultural artifacts such as family names, the evolution of gene variations, and the popularity of strategies in simple econophysics models such as the minority game. The model is closely related to Urn models used for glasses, quantum gravity and wealth distributions. The full mean field equation for the degree distribution is found and its exact solution and generating solution are given.     

Statistical inference and modelling of momentum in stock prices

The following results are obtained, (i) It is possible to obtain a time series of market data {y(t)} in which the fluctuations in fundamental value have been compensated for. An objective test of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH), which would predict random correlations about a constant value, is thereby possible, (ii) A time series procedure can be used to determine the extent to which the differences in the data and the moving averages are significant. This provides a model of the form y(t)-y(t-l)=0.5{y(t- l)-y(t-2)}+ε(t)+0.8ε(r-1) where ε(t) is the error at time t, and the coefficients 0.5 and 0.8 are determined from the data. One concludes that today's price is not a random perturbation from yesterday's; rather, yesterday's rate of change is a significant predictor of today's rate of change. This confirms the concept of momentum that is crucial to market participants. (iii) The model provides out-of-sample predictions that can be tested statistically. (iv) The model and coefficients obtained in this way can be used to make predictions on laboratory experiments to establish an objective and quantitative link between the experiments and the market data. These methods circumvent the central difficulty in testing market data, namely, that changes in fundamentals obscure intrinsic trends and autocorrelations. This procedure is implemented by considering the ratio of two similar funds (Germany and Future Germany) with the same manager and performing a set of statistical tests that have excluded fluctuations in fundamental factors. For the entire data of the first 1149 days beginning with the introduction of the latter fund, a standard runs test indicates that the data is 29 standard deviations away from that which would be expected under a hypothesis of random fluctuations about the fundamental value. This and other tests provide strong evidence against the efficient market hypothesis and in favour of autocorrelations in the data. An ARIMA time series finds strong evidence (9.6 and 21.6 standard deviations in the two coefficients) that the data is described by a model that involves the first difference, indicating that momentum is the significant factor. The first quarter's data is used to make out-of-sample predictions for the second quarter with results that are significant to 3 standard deviations. Finally, the ARIMA model and coefficients are used to make predictions on laboratory experiments of Porter and Smith in which the intrinsic value is clear. The model's forecasts are decidedly more accurate than that of the null hypothesis of random fluctuations about the fundamental value.     

Optimal consumption and portfolio under inflation and Markovian switching

In this paper, a financial market with Markovian switching and inflation is described, and the problem of maximizing expected utility of consumption discounted by inflation is given. Then, by a generalized Itô formula for Markov-modulated processes, the verification theorems of optimal policies are derived. Finally, the optimal consumption and portfolio policies for the constant relative risk aversion utility are given explicitly, and an economic analysis is made by numerical examples.     

我国IPO市场的周期性行为研究:1994-2010

对IPO冷热周期内的时变波动特征首次建立区制转换GARCH模型加以有效描述,以及用计数数据分位数回归模型研究发行数量和发行到上市持续期的关系。通对1994年1月至2010年8月间我国A股IPO市场新股的实证研究得到若干新结论:上市首日收益率和发行到上市的持续期是发行数量的诱因,导致这三个描述IPO行为主要变量的周期行为之间存在相位差;发行到上市的持续期的降低对发行数量的增加有积极地促进作用;除了发行数量在淡季状态波动持续性较强外,其他变量在淡旺季的波动持续性均较弱;旺季时(调整后的)上市首日收益率、发行数量的波动方差比淡季时大,而发行到上市的持续期则相反;我国A股IPO发行市场的淡旺季周期的形成主要受到IPO发行政策、宏观经济环境、投资者情绪的影响控制。