Discrete-Time Quadratic Hedging of Barrier Options in Exponential Lévy Model

We examine optimal quadratic hedging of barrier options in a discretely sampled exponential Lévy model that has been realistically calibrated to reflect the leptokurtic nature of equity returns. Our main finding is that the impact of hedging errors on prices is several times higher than the impact of other pricing biases studied in the literature

The History of the Quantitative Methods in Finance Conference Series. 1992-2007

This report charts the history of the Quantitative Methods in Finance (QMF) conference from its beginning in 1993 to the 15th conference in 2007. It lists alphabetically the 1037 speakers who presented at all 15 conferences and the titles of their papers.

Analytical And Decision Tools For Wildlife Population And Habitat Management

The long-term success of wildlife conservation depends on maximizing the benefits of limited funds and data in pursuit of population and habitat objectives. The ultimate currency for wildlife management is progress toward long-term preservation of ample, wild, free wildlife populations and to this end, funds must be wisely spent and maximal use made from limited data. Through simulation-based analyses, I evaluated the efficacy of various models for estimating population abundance from harvest data. Because managers have different estimators to choose from and can also elect to collect additional data, I compared the statistical performance of different estimation strategies (estimator + dataset) relative to the financial cost of data collection. I also performed a value of information analysis to measure the impact that different strategies have on a representative harvest management decision. The latter analysis is not based on the cost of data, but rather on the management benefit derived from basing decisions on different datasets. Finally, I developed a hybrid modeling framework for mapping habitat quality or suitability. This framework makes efficient use of expert opinion and empirical validation data in a single, updatable statistical structure. I illustrate this method by applying it across an entire state

A study in the financial valuation of a topping oil refinery

Oil refineries underpin modern day economics, finance and engineering – without their refined products the world would stand still, as vehicles would not have petrol, planes grounded without kerosene and homes not heated, without heating oil. In this thesis I study the refinery as a financial asset; it is not too dissimilar to a chemical plant, in this respect. There are a number of reasons for this research; over recent years there have been legal disputes based on a refiner's value, investors and entrepreneurs are interested in purchasing refineries, and finally the research in this arena is sparse. In this thesis I utilise knowledge and techniques within finance, optimisation, stochastic mathematics and commodities to build programs that obtain a financial value for an oil refinery. In chapter one I introduce the background of crude oil and the significance of the refinery in the oil value chain. In chapter two I construct a traditional discounted cash flow valuation often applied within practical finance. In chapter three I program an extensive piecewise non linear optimisation solution on the entire state space, leveraging off a simulation of the refined products using a set of single factor Schwartz (1997) stochastic equations often applied to commodities. In chapter four I program an optimisation using an approximation on crack spread option data with the aim of lowering the duration of solution found in chapter three; this is achieved by utilising a two-factor Hull & White sub-trinomial tree based numerical scheme; see Hull & White (1994) articles I & II for a thorough description. I obtain realistic and accurate numbers for a topping oil refinery using financial market contracts and other real data for the Vadinar refinery based in Gujurat India

Tracking and replication of hedge fund optimal investment portfolio strategies in global capital markets in presence of nonlinearities

The hedge fund represents a unique investment opportunity for the institutional and private investors in the diffusion-type financial systems. The main objective of this condensed article is to research the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies selection in the global capital markets with the nonlinearities. We provide a definition for the hedge fund, describe the hedge fund’s organization structures and characteristics, discuss the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies and review the appropriate hedge fund’s risk assessment models for investing in the global capital markets in time of high volatilities. We analyze the advanced techniques for the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies replication, based on both the Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm. We developed the software program with the embedded Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm, aiming to track and replicate the hedge funds optimal investment portfolio strategies in the practical cases of the non-Gaussian non-linear chaotic distributions

Tracking and replication of hedge fund optimal investment portfolio strategies in global capital markets in presence of nonlinearities

The hedge fund represents a unique investment opportunity for the institutional and private investors in the diffusion-type financial systems. The main objective of this condensed article is to research the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies selection in the global capital markets with the nonlinearities. We provide a definition for the hedge fund, describe the hedge fund’s organization structures and characteristics, discuss the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies and review the appropriate hedge fund’s risk assessment models for investing in the global capital markets in time of high volatilities. We analyze the advanced techniques for the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies replication, based on both the Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm. We developed the software program with the embedded Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm, aiming to track and replicate the hedge funds optimal investment portfolio strategies in the practical cases of the non-Gaussian non-linear chaotic distributions

On the tracking and replication of hedge fund optimal investment portfolio strategies in global capital markets in presence of nonlinearities, applying Bayesian filters: 1. Stratanovich – Kalman – Bucy filters for Gaussian linear investment returns distribution and 2. Particle filters for non-Gaussian non-linear investment returns distribution

The hedge fund represents a unique investment opportunity for the institutional and private investors in the diffusion-type financial systems. The main objective of this condensed article is to research the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies selection in the global capital markets with the nonlinearities. We provide a definition for the hedge fund, describe the hedge fund’s organization structures and characteristics, discuss the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies and review the appropriate hedge fund’s risk assessment models for investing in the global capital markets in time of high volatilities. We analyze the advanced techniques for the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies replication, based on both the Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm. We developed the software program with the embedded Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm, aiming to track and replicate the hedge funds optimal investment portfolio strategies in the practical cases of the non-Gaussian non-linear chaotic distributions

On the tracking and replication of hedge fund optimal investment portfolio strategies in global capital markets in presence of nonlinearities, applying Bayesian filters: 1. Stratanovich – Kalman – Bucy filters for Gaussian linear investment returns distribution and 2. Particle filters for non-Gaussian non-linear investment returns distribution

The hedge fund represents a unique investment opportunity for the institutional and private investors in the diffusion-type financial systems. The main objective of this condensed article is to research the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies selection in the global capital markets with the nonlinearities. We provide a definition for the hedge fund, describe the hedge fund’s organization structures and characteristics, discuss the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies and review the appropriate hedge fund’s risk assessment models for investing in the global capital markets in time of high volatilities. We analyze the advanced techniques for the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies replication, based on both the Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm. We developed the software program with the embedded Stratonovich – Kalman - Bucy filtering algorithm and the particle filtering algorithm, aiming to track and replicate the hedge funds optimal investment portfolio strategies in the practical cases of the non-Gaussian non-linear chaotic distributions