We examine the optimal portfolio selection problem of a single agent who receives an unhedgeable endowment. The agent wishes to optimize his/her log-utility derived from his/her terminal wealth. We do not solve this problem analytically but construct a recursive computational algorithm which...

The timing of elections is flexible in many countries. We study this optimization, by first creating a Bayesian learning model of a mean-reverting political support process. We then explore optimal electoral timing, modeling it as a renewable American option with interacting waiting and stopping...

We study optimal bank capital choice as a dynamic tradeoff between the opportunity cost of equity, the loss of franchise value following a regulatory minimum capital violation, and the cost of recapitalization. We introduce a recapitalization delay, which results in a strictly positive...

We consider the pricing of electricity swing options that hedge the electricity price risk and also partly hedge the risks in the option owner's electricity consumption process. The swing derivative sets instantaneous and cumulative boundaries for the electricity consumption and it specifies the...

On the surface, hedge funds seem to have much higher fees than actively managed mutual funds. However, the true cost of active management should be measured relative to the size of the active positions taken by a fund manager. A mutual fund combines active positions with a passive position in...

We consider optimal consumption and portfolio investment problems of an investor who is interested in maximizing his utilities from consumption and terminal wealth subject to a random inflation in the consumption basket price over time. We consider two cases: (i) when the investor observes the...

Most of the literature on real options considers the optimal decision of a firm in isolation from competitors. In reality, however, the actions of competing firms often affect each other's investment opportunities. We develop a game model where many firms compete for a single investment...

Decision and policy makers often ask experts to forecast a future state. Experts, however, can be biased. In the economics and psychology literature, one extensively studied behavioral bias is called herding. Under strong levels of herding, it is generally known that disclosure of public...

We use a unique dataset from a Singaporean taxi fleet consisting of 6,663 drivers with 23 months of daily work routines to test if taxi drivers exhibit learning by doing (LBD). We find strong evidence of LBD. Next, we document the channels of learning: drivers learn the most through technology...

We analyze the Volcker Rule's announcement effects on U.S. bank holding companies. In line with the rule and the banks' public compliance announcements, we find that those banks that are affected by the Volcker Rule already reduced their trading books relative to their total assets 2.34% more...