In this paper we model a financial market composed of agents with heterogeneous beliefs who change their strategy over time. We propose two different solution methods which lead to two different types of endogenous dynamics. The first makes use of the maximum entropy approach to obtain an...

This paper proposes a framework for pricing credit derivatives within the defaultable Markovian HJM framework featuring unspanned stochastic volatility. Motivated by empirical evidence, hump-shaped level dependent stochastic volatility specifications are proposed, such that the model admits...

In this paper we consider the pricing of an American call option whose underlying asset dynamics evolve under the influence of two independent stochastic volatility processes of the Heston (1993) type. We derive the associated partial differential equation (PDE) of the option price using hedging...

Let X =(Xt)t=0 be a transient diffusion processin (0,8) with the diffusion coeffcient s 0 and the scale function L such that Xt ?8 as t ?8 ,let It denote its running minimum for t = 0, and let ? denote the time of its ultimate minimum I8 .Setting c(i,x)=1-2L(x)/L(i) we show that the stopping...

The paper discusses the problem of hedging not perfectly replicable contingent claims by using a benchmark, the numerraire portfolio, as reference unit. The proposed concept of benchmarked risk minimization generalizes classical risk minimization, pioneered by Follmer, Sondermann and Schweizer....

This paper derives explicit formulas for both the small and large time limits of the implied volatility in the minimal market model. It is shown that interest rates do impact on the implied volatility in the long run even though they are negligible in the short time limit.

The size of adverse selection and moral hazard effects in health insurance markets has important policy implications. For example, if adverse selection effects are small while moral hazard effects are large, conventional remedies for inefficiencies created by adverse selection (e.g., mandatory...

In the valuation of continuous barrier options the distribution of the first hitting time plays a substantial role. In general, the derivation of a hitting time distribution poses a mathematically challenging problem for continuous but otherwise arbitrary boundary curves. When considering...

Diversification has its obvious benefits but its pursuit can involve a trade-off between risk-controls and returns. We investigate this trade-off by examining the relative performance of diversified versus concentrated portfolios both formed on the basis of the same stock preferences. Using US...