Processing second-order stochastic dominance models using cutting-plane representations

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the links below. Copyright @ 2011 Springer-VerlagSecond-order stochastic dominance (SSD) is widely recognised as an important decision criterion in portfolio selection. Unfortunately, stochastic dominance models are known to be very demanding from a computational point of view. In this paper we consider two classes of models which use SSD as a choice criterion. The first, proposed by Dentcheva and Ruszczyński (J Bank Finance 30:433–451, 2006), uses a SSD constraint, which can be expressed as integrated chance constraints (ICCs). The second, proposed by Roman et al. (Math Program, Ser B 108:541–569, 2006) uses SSD through a multi-objective formulation with CVaR objectives. Cutting plane representations and algorithms were proposed by Klein Haneveld and Van der Vlerk (Comput Manage Sci 3:245–269, 2006) for ICCs, and by Künzi-Bay and Mayer (Comput Manage Sci 3:3–27, 2006) for CVaR minimization. These concepts are taken into consideration to propose representations and solution methods for the above class of SSD based models. We describe a cutting plane based solution algorithm and outline implementation details. A computational study is presented, which demonstrates the effectiveness and the scale-up properties of the solution algorithm, as applied to the SSD model of Roman et al. (Math Program, Ser B 108:541–569, 2006).This study was funded by OTKA, Hungarian National Fund for Scientific Research, project 47340; by Mobile Innovation Centre, Budapest University of Technology, project 2.2; Optirisk Systems, Uxbridge, UK and by BRIEF (Brunel University Research Innovation and Enterprise Fund)

Nonconcave Robust Optimization with Discrete Strategies under Knightian Uncertainty

We study robust stochastic optimization problems in the quasi-sure setting in discrete-time. The strategies in the multi-period-case are restricted to those taking values in a discrete set. The optimization problems under consideration are not concave. We provide conditions under which a maximizer exists. The class of problems covered by our robust optimization problem includes optimal stopping and semi-static trading under Knightian uncertainty.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1610.0923

Efficient option pricing with transaction costs

A fast numerical algorithm is developed to price European options with proportional transaction costs using the utility-maximization framework of Davis (1997). This approach allows option prices to be computed by solving the investor’s basic portfolio selection problem without insertion of the option payoff into the terminal value function. The properties of the value function can then be used to drastically reduce the number of operations needed to locate the boundaries of the no-transaction region, which leads to very efficient option valuation. The optimization problem is solved numerically for the case of exponential utility, and comparisons with approximately replicating strategies reveal tight bounds for option prices even as transaction costs become large. The computational technique involves a discrete-time Markov chain approximation to a continuous-time singular stochastic optimal control problem. A general definition of an option hedging strategy in this framework is developed. This involves calculating the perturbation to the optimal portfolio strategy when an option trade is executed

Migration, credit markets, moral hazard, interlinkage.

A fast numerical algorithm is developed to price European options with proportional transaction costs using the utility maximization framework of Davis (1997). This approach allows option prices to be computed by solving the investor's basic portfolio selection problem, without the inser- tion of the option payo into the terminal value function. The properties of the value function can then be used to drastically reduce the number of operations needed to locate the boundaries of the no transaction region, which leads to very e cient option valuation. The optimization problem is solved numerically for the case of exponential utility, and comparisons with approximately replicating strategies reveal tight bounds for option prices even as transaction costs become large. The computational tech- nique involves a discrete time Markov chain approximation to a continuous time singular stochastic optimal control problem. A general de nition of an option hedging strategy in this framework is developed. This involves calculating the perturbation to the optimal portfolio strategy when an option trade is execute