We show that if an agent is uncertain about the precise form of his utility function, his actual relative risk aversion may depend on wealth even if he knows his utility function lies in the class of constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) utility functions. We illustrate the consequences of this...

Current research suggests that the large downside risk in hedge fund returns disqualifies the variance as an appropriate risk measure. For example, one can easily construct portfolios with nonlinear pay-offs that have both a high Sharpe ratio and a high downside risk. This paper examines the...

We compute joint sovereign default probabilities as coincident systemic risk indicators. Instead of commonly used CDS spreads, we use government bond yield data which provide a longer data history. We show that for the more recent sample period 2008-2015, joint default probabilities based on CDS...

For an agent with loss averse preferences we derive the optimal payoffs with one option. A total of four different payoffs are found to be optimal, depending on the strike price of the option and whether the initial position of the agent is one of surplus or shortfall. Our results have...

Recent research reveals that hedge fund returns exhibit a range of different, possibly non-linear pay-off patterns. It is difficult to qualify all these patterns simultaneously as being rational in a traditional framework for optimal financial decision making. In this paper we present a simple...

Contemporary financial stochastic programs typically involve a trade-off between return and (downside)-risk. Using stochastic programming we characterize analytically (rather than numerically) the optimal decisions that follow from characteristic single-stage and multi-stage versions of such...

Previous studies have shown that systematic risk in hedge fund returns is partly captured by short positions in put option returns. This is suggestive of a potential 'peso problem' in hedge fund returns: a series of steady returns may alternate with an occasional crash. In this paper, we analyze...

In an ideal world asset managers would be perfectly aligned with their investors via an optimal incentive contract. In the current crisis this does not seem the case, so it is worthwhile to investigate how this can be improved upon. In the theory of delegated management this optimal (incentive)...