The goal of this dissertation is to explore nested Archimedean copulas. In particular, efficient sampling algorithms, especially suited for large dimensions, are presented. As an application, a pricing model for collateralized debt obligations (CDOsʺ) is developed. Copulas are distribution...

CDO tranche spreads (and prices of related portfolio-credit derivatives) depend on the market's perception of the future loss distribution of the underlying credit portfolio. Applying Sklar's seminal decomposition to the distribution of the vector of default times, the portfolio-loss...