We provide a monotonic transformation of an initial diffusion with a level-dependent diffusion parameter that yields a second, deterministic parameter process. Altering the diffusion parameter while maintaining the original Brownian motion at the expense of the drift can be viewed as a...

Implications of factor-based asset pricing models for estimation of expecte d returns and for portfolio selection are investigated. In the presence of model mispricing due to a missing factor, the mispricing and the residual covariance matrix are linked together. Imposing a strong form of this...

A quantitative framework is developed to bring forward the insurance motive of holding international reserves. The insurance value of reserves is quantified as the market price of an equivalent option that provides the same insurance coverage as the reserves. This quantitative framework is...

Stress testing is becoming a widely used tool to assess potential vulnerabilities in a financial system. This paper is intended to answer some of the basic questions that may arise as part of the process of stress testing. The paper begins with a discussion of stress testing in a financial...