This paper investigates the impact of multiplicative background risk on an investor's portfolio choice in a mean-variance framework. We also study the efficient boundary frontiers with and without risk-free security.

This paper investigates the impact of background risk on an investor’s portfolio choice in a mean-VaR, mean-CVaR and mean-variance framework, and analyzes the characterizations of the mean-variance boundary and mean-VaR efficient frontier in the presence of background risk. We also consider...

Our paper provides a complete characterization of leverage and default in binomial economies with financial assets serving as collateral. First, our Binomial No-Default Theorem states that any equilibrium is equivalent (in real allocations and prices) to another equilibrium in which there is no...

Our paper provides a complete characterization of leverage and default in binomial economies with financial assets serving as collateral. Our Binomial No-Default Theorem states that any equilibrium is equivalent (in real allocations and prices) to another equilibrium in which there is no...

Mutual Funds are the most common form of investment for the average household. They offer a fair amount of return for a limited amount of risk. Segregated Funds, which are, simply put, mutual funds with additional features, have grown in popularity as of late. It is something of great interest...

A recent literature shows how an increase in volatility reduces leverage. However, in order to explain pro-cyclical leverage it assumes that bad news increases volatility, that is, it assumes an inverse relationship between first and second moments of asset returns. This paper suggests a reason...

This paper evaluates the effects of imposing Value-at-Risk (VaR) limits and quantitative restrictions on portfolio choices in the context of a risk-based supervision framework for defined contribution pension funds. It shows the conditions under which VaR constraints are equivalent to...

A recent literature shows how an increase in volatility reduces leverage. However, in order to explain pro-cyclical leverage it assumes that bad news increases volatility, that is, it assumes an inverse relationship between first and second moments of asset returns. This paper suggests a reason...

The management of financial risks, which is a branch of financial theory, is defined as a process that begins with risk factors identification, continues with measurement of risk and concludes with the coverage of that risk. This work focuses on the second phase of management process, namely the...

We show that binomial economies with financial assets are an informative and tractable model to study endogenous leverage and collateral equilibrium: endogenous leverage can be highly volatile, but it is always easy to compute. The possibility of default can have a dramatic effect on...