Using the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, we derive both a Keynes-Ramsey rule and a closed form solution for an optimal consumption-investment problem with labor income. The utility function is unbounded and uncertainty stems from a Poisson process. Our results can be derived because of the...

An optimization method is developed for constructing investment portfolios which stochastically dominate a given benchmark for all decreasing absolute risk-averse investors, using Quadratic Programming. The method is applied to standard data sets of historical returns of equity price reversal...

We study the gap between the state pension provided by the Italian pension system pre-Dini reform and post-Dini reform. The goal is to fill the gap between the old and the new pension by joining a defined contribution pension scheme and adopting an optimal investment strategy that is...

Theoretical concepts together with estimation and optimization methods for portfolio choice based on Stochastic Dominance are reviewed. Distinction is drawn between the concepts of Pairwise Dominance, Admissibility, Optimality, Efficiency and Spanning. Results of selected empirical studies and...

We propose a novel linear approximation of expected utility. The approximation guides us as we transfer the traditional quadratic dependence of third-order stochastic dominance (TSD) into an equivalent linear system. The finding also shows a dual relationship between traditional low partial...

In this paper, we investigate the following problem: How can a financial institution, which has sold an option to a client, optimally hedge the payoff of this option by investing into a stock and into the option itself? Optimality is measured in terms of minimal variance and the associated...

We develop and implement methods for determining whether relaxing sparsity constraints on portfolios improves the investment opportunity set for risk-averse investors. We formulate a new estimation procedure for sparse second-order stochastic spanning based on a greedy algorithm and Linear...

While it is common knowledge that portfolio separation in a continuous-time lognormal market is due to the basic properties of the Gaussian distribution, the usual textbook exposition relies on dynamic programming and thus Itô stochastic calculus and the appropriate regularity conditions. This...

This study develops and implements a theory and method for analyzing whether introducing new securities or relaxing investment constraints improves the investment opportunity set for risk averse investors. We develop a test procedure for ‘stochastic spanning’ for two nested polyhedral...

We develop and implement a portfolio optimization method for building investment portfolios that dominate a given benchmark index in terms of third-degree stochastic dominance. Our approach relies on the properties of the semi-variance function, a refinement of an existing 'super-convex'...