Using various techniques, Cox and Leland (1982,2000), Dybvig (1988a, 1988b), Vanduffel et al. (2009) and Bernard and Boyle (2010) have shown that in onedimensional markets, complex (path-dependent) contracts are generally not optimal for rational consumers. In this paper, we generalise these...

This paper uses the preference free framework proposed by Dybvig (1988) and Cox and Leland (1982, 2000) to analyze dynamic portfolio strategies. In general there will be a set of dynamic strategies that have the same payoff distribution. We are able to characterize a lowest cost strategy (a...

In this paper insurance claims are priced using an indifference pricing principle. We first revisit the traditional economic framework and then extend it to include the presence of a complete financial market. In this context we derive lower bounds for claims' prices, and these bounds correspond...

We consider an optimal insurance design problem for an individual whose preferences are dictated by the rank-dependent expected utility (RDEU) theory with a concave utility function and an inverse-S shaped probability distortion function. This type of RDEU is known to describe human behavior...

We investigate the impact of counterparty risk on contract design in the reinsurance market. We study a multiplicative default risk model, with partial recovery and where the probability of the reinsurer's default depends on the loss incurred by the insurer. The seller is assumed to be...

In this paper, we discuss a newly introduced exotic derivative called the “Timer Option”. Instead of being exercised at a fixed maturity date as a vanilla option, it has a random date of exercise linked to the accumulated variance of the underlying stock. Unlike common...

The paper develops an efficient Monte Carlo method to price discretely monitored Parisian options based on a control variate approach. The paper also modifies the Parisian option design by assuming the option is exercised when the barrier condition is met rather than at maturity. We obtain...