This paper examines the performance from 1996 to 2020 of mean-variance efficient portfolios of monthly options with all available strikes on each of the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones indexes, using a constrained optimization approach that incorporates position limits, transaction costs, and...

Shortfall aversion reflects the higher utility loss of a spending cut from a reference point than the utility gain from a similar spending increase, in the spirit of Prospect Theory's loss aversion. This paper posits a model of utility of spending scaled by a function of past peak spending,...