We study the problem of investing in securities in order to maximize the after-tax rate of return. We consider a single stock modeled as geometric Brownian motion along with the objective of maximizing the long-run growth rate of after-tax wealth. We show that it is optimal not only to cut short...

We study a class of stochastic optimization models of expected utility in markets with stochastically changing investment opportunities. The prices of the primitive assets are modelled as diffusion processes whose coefficients evolve according to correlated diffusion factors. Under certain...

Previous studies find a strong and positive empirical connection between health status and the share of risky assets held in household portfolios. But is this relationship truly causal, in the sense that households respond to changes in health by altering their portfolio allocation, or does it...

The empirical evidence on stock market participation and portfolio choice defies the predictions of standard life-cycle theory. In this paper we develop and estimate a model of portfolio choice that can account for the limited stock market participation and substantial portfolio diversification...

We examine the dynamics of idiosyncratic risk, market risk and return correlations in European equity markets using weekly observations from 3515 stocks listed in the 12 Euro area stock markets over the period 1974-2004. Similarly to Campbell, Lettau, Malkiel and Xu (2001), we find a rise in...

The paper studies the profit distribution and portfolio management of the Swiss National Bank in comparison with the behavior of other European central banks.It is shown that the SNB's behavior is unique in a number of respects : Relatively to the countries size, it holds the largest gold...

Despite operating under substantial regulatory constraints, we find that commercial banks manage their investments largely consistent with the predictions of portfolio choice models with capital market imperfections. Based on 1990-2002 data for small (assets less than $1 billion) U.S. commercial...

This paper applies growth optimization with downside protection as a portfolio selection technique. The model is based on power-log utility functions that combine portfolio growth maximization with the behavioural tenets of prospect theory. We use three assets (a farm return index, a stock...

The paper presents a new model to support the selection of a portfolio of stocks based on the results of the fieldwork undertaken with fund managers and using direct rating, MACBETH and optimisation techniques. The model consists of defining a benchmark portfolio (in this case, the Dow Jones...

In portfolio and risk management, estimating and forecasting the volatilities and correlations of asset returns plays an important role. Recently, interest in the estimation of the covariance matrix of large dimensional portfolios has increased. Using a portfolio of 63 assets covering stocks,...