OPTIMAL HEDGING OF DERIVATIVES WITH TRANSACTION COSTS

We investigate the optimal strategy over a finite time horizon for a portfolio of stock and bond and a derivative in an multiplicative Markovian market model with transaction costs (friction). The optimization problem is solved by a Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation, which by the verification theorem has well-behaved solutions if certain conditions on a potential are satisfied. In the case at hand, these conditions simply imply arbitrage-free ("Black–Scholes") pricing of the derivative. While pricing is hence not changed by friction allow a portfolio to fluctuate around a delta hedge. In the limit of weak friction, we determine the optimal control to essentially be of two parts: a strong control, which tries to bring the stock-and-derivative portfolio towards a Black–Scholes delta hedge; and a weak control, which moves the portfolio by adding or subtracting a Black–Scholes hedge. For simplicity we assume growth-optimal investment criteria and quadratic friction.