This paper examines how volatility positions can be optimally constructed by modeling the selection process as a linear discrete ill-posed problem with box constraints. We show how this framework allows for a priori investor expectations and risk parameters to be applied in the optimization...

For more than three decades, empirical analysis of stochastic dominance was restricted to settings with mutually exclusive choice alternatives. In recent years, a number of methods for testing efficiency of diversified portfolios have emerged, which can be classified into three main categories:...

We develop statistical methods to detect informed trading in options markets. We apply these methods to 31 companies from various sectors over 14 years analyzing approximately 9.6 million option prices. We find that option informed trading tends to cluster prior to certain events, takes place...

This appendix extends the empirical results in Chesney, Crameri, and Mancini (2011). Informed trading activities on put and call options are analyzed for 19 companies in the banking and insurance sectors from January 1996 to September 2009. Our empirical findings suggest that certain events such...

Using properties of the cdf of a random variable defined as a saddle-type point of a real valued continuous stochastic process, we derive first-order asymptotic properties of tests for stochastic spanning w.r.t. a stochastic dominance relation. First, we define the concept of Markowitz...

Portfolio optimization approaches inevitably rely on multivariate modeling of markets and the economy. In this paper, we address three sources of error related to the modeling of these complex systems: 1.oversimplifying hypothesis; 2. uncertainties resulting from parameters' sampling error; 3....

The motivation of this paper is to introduce a short term adaptive model (Partial Swarm Optimizer combined with linear and nonlinear models when applied to the task of forecasting and trading the daily closing returns of the FTSE100 exchange traded funds (ETFs). This is done by benchmarking its...