Optimal investment to minimize the probability of drawdown

We determine the optimal investment strategy in a Black–Scholes financial market to minimize the so-called probability of drawdown, namely, the probability that the value of an investment portfolio reaches some fixed proportion of its maximum value to date. We assume that the portfolio is subject to a payout that is a deterministic function of its value, as might be the case for an endowment fund paying at a specified rate, for example, at a constant rate or at a rate that is proportional to the fund’s value.