Dual Representation of Quasiconvex Conditional Maps

We provide a dual representation of quasiconvex maps between two lattices of random variables in terms of conditional expectations. This generalizes the dual representation of quasiconvex real valued functions and the dual representation of conditional convex maps.Comment: Date changed Added one remark on assumption (c), page

On the super replication price of unbounded claims

In an incomplete market the price of a claim f in general cannot be uniquely identified by no arbitrage arguments. However, the ``classical'' super replication price is a sensible indicator of the (maximum selling) value of the claim. When f satisfies certain pointwise conditions (e.g., f is bounded from below), the super replication price is equal to sup_QE_Q[f], where Q varies on the whole set of pricing measures. Unfortunately, this price is often too high: a typical situation is here discussed in the examples. We thus define the less expensive weak super replication price and we relax the requirements on f by asking just for ``enough'' integrability conditions. By building up a proper duality theory, we show its economic meaning and its relation with the investor's preferences. Indeed, it turns out that the weak super replication price of f coincides with sup_{Q\in M_{\Phi}}E_Q[f], where M_{\Phi} is the class of pricing measures with finite generalized entropy (i.e., E[\Phi (\frac{dQ}{dP})]<\infty) and where \Phi is the convex conjugate of the utility function of the investor.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051604000000459 in the Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Universal Arbitrage Aggregator in Discrete Time Markets under Uncertainty

In a model independent discrete time financial market, we discuss the richness of the family of martingale measures in relation to different notions of Arbitrage, generated by a class $\mathcal{S}$ of significant sets, which we call Arbitrage de la classe $\mathcal{S}$. The choice of $\mathcal{S}$ reflects into the intrinsic properties of the class of polar sets of martingale measures. In particular: for S=${\Omega}$ absence of Model Independent Arbitrage is equivalent to the existence of a martingale measure; for $\mathcal{S}$ being the open sets, absence of Open Arbitrage is equivalent to the existence of full support martingale measures. These results are obtained by adopting a technical filtration enlargement and by constructing a universal aggregator of all arbitrage opportunities. We further introduce the notion of market feasibility and provide its characterization via arbitrage conditions. We conclude providing a dual representation of Open Arbitrage in terms of weakly open sets of probability measures, which highlights the robust nature of this concept

A unified framework for utility maximization problems: An Orlicz space approach

We consider a stochastic financial incomplete market where the price processes are described by a vector-valued semimartingale that is possibly nonlocally bounded. We face the classical problem of utility maximization from terminal wealth, with utility functions that are finite-valued over $(a,\infty)$, $a\in\lbrack-\infty,\infty)$, and satisfy weak regularity assumptions. We adopt a class of trading strategies that allows for stochastic integrals that are not necessarily bounded from below. The embedding of the utility maximization problem in Orlicz spaces permits us to formulate the problem in a unified way for both the cases $a\in\mathbb{R}$ and $a=-\infty$. By duality methods, we prove the existence of solutions to the primal and dual problems and show that a singular component in the pricing functionals may also occur with utility functions finite on the entire real line.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/07-AAP469 the Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org