We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for the risk aversion of an agent's derived utility function to increase with independent, zero-mean background risk. This condition is weaker than standard risk aversion. For small risks, the condition is that the ratio of the third to the first...

In this paper, we derive an equilibrium in which some investors buy call/put options on the market portfolio while others sell them. Since investors are assumed to have similar risk-averse preferences, the demand for these contracts is not explained by differences in the shape of utility...

In this paper, we present a methodology for approximating a correlated multivariate-lognormal process with a recombining or “simple” multivariate-binomial process. The method represents an extension and implementation of previous work by Nelson and Ramaswamy (1990) and Ho, Stapleton and...

The purpose of this research is to describe the Omaha Metro Safety Initiative (OMSI) and assess its deterrent effects. The OMSI, a multi-agency task force, has been carrying out "hot spot" policing practices focused on traffic corridors in high crime areas. The purpose of OMSI operations is to...