MM Algorithms for Geometric and Signomial Programming

This paper derives new algorithms for signomial programming, a generalization of geometric programming. The algorithms are based on a generic principle for optimization called the MM algorithm. In this setting, one can apply the geometric-arithmetic mean inequality and a supporting hyperplane inequality to create a surrogate function with parameters separated. Thus, unconstrained signomial programming reduces to a sequence of one-dimensional minimization problems. Simple examples demonstrate that the MM algorithm derived can converge to a boundary point or to one point of a continuum of minimum points. Conditions under which the minimum point is unique or occurs in the interior of parameter space are proved for geometric programming. Convergence to an interior point occurs at a linear rate. Finally, the MM framework easily accommodates equality and inequality constraints of signomial type. For the most important special case, constrained quadratic programming, the MM algorithm involves very simple updates.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Rank Reduction of Correlation Matrices by Majorization

A novel algorithm is developed for the problem of finding a low-rank correlation matrix nearest to a given correlation matrix. The algorithm is based on majorization and, therefore, it is globally convergent. The algorithm is computationally efficient, is straightforward to implement, and can handle arbitrary weights on the entries of the correlation matrix. A simulation study suggests that majorization compares favourably with competing approaches in terms of the quality of the solution within a fixed computational time. The problem of rank reduction of correlation matrices occurs when pricing a derivative dependent on a large number of assets, where the asset prices are modelled as correlated log-normal processes. Mainly, such an application concerns interest rates.rank, correlation matrix, majorization, lognormal price processes

Semilocal analysis of equations with smooth operators

Recent work on semilocal analysis of nonlinear operator equations is informally reviewed. A refined version of the Kantorovich theorem for Newton's method, with new error bounds, is presented. Related topics are briefly surveyed

On the semilocal convergence of inexact Newton methods in Banach spaces

AbstractWe provide two types of semilocal convergence theorems for approximating a solution of an equation in a Banach space setting using an inexact Newton method [I.K. Argyros, Relation between forcing sequences and inexact Newton iterates in Banach spaces, Computing 63 (2) (1999) 134–144; I.K. Argyros, A new convergence theorem for the inexact Newton method based on assumptions involving the second Fréchet-derivative, Comput. Appl. Math. 37 (7) (1999) 109–115; I.K. Argyros, Forcing sequences and inexact Newton iterates in Banach space, Appl. Math. Lett. 13 (1) (2000) 77–80; I.K. Argyros, Local convergence of inexact Newton-like iterative methods and applications, Comput. Math. Appl. 39 (2000) 69–75; I.K. Argyros, Computational Theory of Iterative Methods, in: C.K. Chui, L. Wuytack (Eds.), in: Studies in Computational Mathematics, vol. 15, Elsevier Publ. Co., New York, USA, 2007; X. Guo, On semilocal convergence of inexact Newton methods, J. Comput. Math. 25 (2) (2007) 231–242]. By using more precise majorizing sequences than before [X. Guo, On semilocal convergence of inexact Newton methods, J. Comput. Math. 25 (2) (2007) 231–242; Z.D. Huang, On the convergence of inexact Newton method, J. Zheijiang University, Nat. Sci. Ed. 30 (4) (2003) 393–396; L.V. Kantorovich, G.P. Akilov, Functional Analysis, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1982; X.H. Wang, Convergence on the iteration of Halley family in weak condition, Chinese Sci. Bull. 42 (7) (1997) 552–555; T.J. Ypma, Local convergence of inexact Newton methods, SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 21 (3) (1984) 583–590], we provide (under the same computational cost) under the same or weaker hypotheses: finer error bounds on the distances involved; an at least as precise information on the location of the solution. Moreover if the splitting method is used, we show that a smaller number of inner/outer iterations can be obtained

Majorizing sequences for Newton’s method from initial value problems

AbstractThe most restrictive condition used by Kantorovich for proving the semilocal convergence of Newton’s method in Banach spaces is relaxed in this paper, providing we can guarantee the semilocal convergence in situations that Kantorovich cannot. To achieve this, we use Kantorovich’s technique based on majorizing sequences, but our majorizing sequences are obtained differently, by solving initial value problems

Rank reduction of correlation matrices by majorization

In this paper a novel method is developed for the problem of finding a low-rank correlation matrix nearest to a given correlation matrix. The method is based on majorization and therefore it is globally convergent. The method is computationally efficient, is straightforward to implement, and can handle arbitrary weights on the entries of the correlation matrix. A simulation study suggests that majorization compares favourably with competing approaches in terms of the quality of the solution within a fixed computational time. The problem of rank reduction of correlation matrices occurs when pricing a derivative dependent on a large number of assets, where the asset prices are modelled as correlated log-normal processes.correlation matrix;lognormal price processes;majorization;rank