We investigate the performance of the threshold accepting heuristic for the index tracking problem. The index tracking problem consists in minimizing the tracking error between a portfolio and a benchmark. The objective is to replicate the performance of a given index upon the condition that the...

In practical portfolio choice models risk is often defined as VaR, expected short-fall, maximum loss, Omega function, etc. and is computed from simulated future scenarios of the portfolio value. It is well known that the minimization of these functions can not, in general, be performed with...

This paper investigates computational and implementation issues for the valuation of options on three underlying assets, focusing on the use of the finite difference methods. We demonstrate that implicit methods, which have good convergence and stability prooperties, can now be implemented...

Constraints on downside risk, measured by shortfall probability, expected shortfall, semi-variance etc., lead to optimal asset allocations which differ from the meanvariance optimum. The resulting optimization problem can become quite complex as it exhibits multiple local extrema and...

This paper introduces the fundamentals of extreme value theory as well as practical aspects for estimating and assessing statistical models for tail-related risk measures.

The paper shows how a particular optimization heuristic, called threshold accepting, can be successfully used to solve complex portfolio choice problems.

Many fields of modern science and engineering have to deal with events which are rare but have significant consequences. Extreme value theory is considered to provide the basis for the statistical modeling of such extremes. The potential of extreme value theory applied to financial problems has...

The paper first compares the use of optimization heuristics to the classical optimization techniques for the selection of optimal portfolios. Second, the heuristic approach is applied to problems other than those in the standard mean-variance framework where the classical optimization fails.

Severe natural catastrophes in the early 1990s generated a lack of financial capacity in the catastrophe line of the global reinsurance market. The finance industry reacted to this situation by issuing innovative products designed to spread the excess risk more widely among international...