Optimal cross hedging of Insurance derivatives using quadratic BSDEs

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: We consider the utility portfolio optimization problem of an investor whose activities are influenced by an exogenous financial risk (like bad weather or energy shortage) in an incomplete financial market. We work with a fairly general non-Markovian model, allowing stochastic correlations between the underlying assets. This important problem in finance and insurance is tackled by means of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs), which have been shown to be powerful tools in stochastic control. To lay stress on the importance and the omnipresence of BSDEs in stochastic control, we present three methods to transform the control problem into a BSDEs. Namely, the martingale optimality principle introduced by Davis, the martingale representation and a method based on Itô-Ventzell’s formula. These approaches enable us to work with portfolio constraints described by closed, not necessarily convex sets and to get around the classical duality theory of convex analysis. The solution of the optimization problem can then be simply read from the solution of the BSDE. An interesting feature of each of the different approaches is that the generator of the BSDE characterizing the control problem has a quadratic growth and depends on the form of the set of constraints. We review some recent advances on the theory of quadratic BSDEs and its applications. There is no general existence result for multidimensional quadratic BSDEs. In the one-dimensional case, existence and uniqueness strongly depend on the form of the terminal condition. Other topics of investigation are measure solutions of BSDEs, notably measure solutions of BSDE with jumps and numerical approximations. We extend the equivalence result of Ankirchner et al. (2009) between existence of classical solutions and existence of measure solutions to the case of BSDEs driven by a Poisson process with a bounded terminal condition. We obtain a numerical scheme to approximate measure solutions. In fact, the existing self-contained construction of measure solutions gives rise to a numerical scheme for some classes of Lipschitz BSDEs. Two numerical schemes for quadratic BSDEs introduced in Imkeller et al. (2010) and based, respectively, on the Cole-Hopf transformation and the truncation procedure are implemented and the results are compared. Keywords: BSDE, quadratic growth, measure solutions, martingale theory, numerical scheme, indifference pricing and hedging, non-tradable underlying, defaultable claim, utility maximization.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ons beskou die nuts portefeulje optimalisering probleem van ’n belegger wat se aktiwiteite beïnvloed word deur ’n eksterne finansiele risiko (soos onweer of ’n energie tekort) in ’n onvolledige finansiële mark. Ons werk met ’n redelik algemene nie-Markoviaanse model, wat stogastiese korrelasies tussen die onderliggende bates toelaat. Hierdie belangrike probleem in finansies en versekering is aangepak deur middel van terugwaartse stogastiese differensiaalvergelykings (TSDEs), wat blyk om ’n onderskeidende metode in stogastiese beheer te wees. Om klem te lê op die belangrikheid en alomteenwoordigheid van TSDEs in stogastiese beheer, bespreek ons drie metodes om die beheer probleem te transformeer na ’n TSDE. Naamlik, die martingale optimaliteits beginsel van Davis, die martingale voorstelling en ’n metode wat gebaseer is op ’n formule van Itô-Ventzell. Hierdie benaderings stel ons in staat om te werk met portefeulje beperkinge wat beskryf word deur geslote, nie noodwendig konvekse versamelings, en die klassieke dualiteit teorie van konvekse analise te oorkom. Die oplossing van die optimaliserings probleem kan dan bloot afgelees word van die oplossing van die TSDE. ’n Interessante kenmerk van elkeen van die verskillende benaderings is dat die voortbringer van die TSDE wat die beheer probleem beshryf, kwadratiese groei en afhanglik is van die vorm van die versameling beperkings. Ons herlei ’n paar onlangse vooruitgange in die teorie van kwadratiese TSDEs en gepaartgaande toepassings. Daar is geen algemene bestaanstelling vir multidimensionele kwadratiese TSDEs nie. In die een-dimensionele geval is bestaan ââen uniekheid sterk afhanklik van die vorm van die terminale voorwaardes. Ander ondersoek onderwerpe is maatoplossings van TSDEs, veral maatoplossings van TSDEs met spronge en numeriese benaderings. Ons brei uit op die ekwivalensie resultate van Ankirchner et al. (2009) tussen die bestaan van klassieke oplossings en die bestaan van maatoplossings vir die geval van TSDEs wat gedryf word deur ’n Poisson proses met begrensde terminale voorwaardes. Ons verkry ’n numeriese skema om oplossings te benader. Trouens, die bestaande self-vervatte konstruksie van maatoplossings gee aanleiding tot ’n numeriese skema vir sekere klasse van Lipschitz TSDEs. Twee numeriese skemas vir kwadratiese TSDEs, bekendgestel in Imkeller et al. (2010), en gebaseer is, onderskeidelik, op die Cole-Hopf transformasie en die afknot proses is geïmplementeer en die resultate word vergelyk