Graduate Seminar Financial and Actuarial Mathematics LMU and TUM

Stochastic optimal control problems naturally arise in contexts such as optimal investment, optimal consumption, and economic growth. Moreover, many fundamental models in robust finance - such as G-Brownian motion, G-diffusions, or G-semimartingales - can be translated to frameworks of stochastic control. A central aspect of these problems is the connection between value functions and Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. For controlled diffusions with sufficiently regular coefficients, this link is typically established either through the comparison method, relying on a comparison principle for discontinuous viscosity solutions, or via the verification approach, which requires the existence of classical or Sobolev solutions. In this talk, we consider a general class of controlled diffusions for which these traditional methods break down. We present a new approach that connects stochastic control problems and HJB equations by combining probabilistic and analytic techniques. Furthermore, we discuss uniqueness results, leading to stochastic representations of HJB equations in terms of control problems, and provide stability results for associated value functions.

In this talk, we study dependence uncertainty and the resulting effects on tail risk measures, which play a fundamental role in modern risk management. We introduce the notion of a regular dependence measure, defined on multimarginal couplings, as a generalization of well-known correlation statistics such as the Pearson correlation. The first main result states that even an arbitrarily small positive dependence between losses can result in perfectly correlated tails beyond a certain threshold and seemingly complete independence before this threshold. In a second step, we focus on the aggregation of individual risks with known marginal distributions by means of arbitrary nondecreasing left-continuous aggregation functions. In this context, we show that under an arbitrarily small positive dependence, the tail risk of the aggregate loss might coincide with the one of perfectly correlated losses. A similar result is derived for expectiles under mild conditions. In a last step, we discuss our results in the context of credit risk, analyzing the potential effects on the value at risk for weighted sums of Bernoulli distributed losses.

Martingales associated with path-dependent payoff functions are intrinsically linked to path-dependent PDEs. While this connection is typically established via a functional Itô formula, in this talk we present a semigroup-theoretic framework for the analytic characterization of martingales with path-dependent terminal conditions. Specifically, we show that a measurable adapted process of the form V(t) - ∫_0^t Ψ(s)ds is a martingale if and only if a time-shifted version of V is a mild solution to a final value problem (FVP) involving a path-dependent differential operator. We establish existence and uniqueness of solutions to such FVPs using the concept of evolutionary semigroups on path space. We also discuss the relationship between semigroups on path space, nonlinear expectations and their penalty functions. The talk is based on joint work with David Criens, Robert Denk and Markus Kunze.

TBA

TBA

We provide a unified framework to obtain numerically certain quantities, such as the distribution function, absolute moments and prices of financial options, from the characteristic function of some (unknown) probability density function using the Fourier-cosine expansion (COS) method. The classical COS method is numerically very efficient in one-dimension, but it cannot deal very well with certain integrands in general dimensions. Therefore, we introduce the damped COS method, which can handle a large class of integrands very efficiently. We prove the convergence of the (damped) COS method and study its order of convergence. The method converges exponentially if the characteristic function decays exponentially. To apply the (damped) COS method, one has to specify two parameters: a truncation range for the multivariate density and the number of terms to approximate the truncated density by a cosine series. We provide an explicit formula for the truncation range and an implicit formula for the number of terms. Numerical experiments up to five dimensions confirm the theoretical results.

Please register for the workshop. More information can be found at s. https://www.fm.math.lmu.de/en/news/events-overview/event/frontiers-in-mathematical-finance-between-theory-and-applications.html

Please register for the workshop. More information can be found at s. https://www.fm.math.lmu.de/en/news/events-overview/event/frontiers-in-mathematical-finance-between-theory-and-applications.html

We study opportunistic traders that try to detect and exploit the order flow of dealers hedging their net exposure to the FX fix. We also discuss how dealers can take this into account to balance not only risk and trading costs but also information leakage in an appropriate manner. It turns out that information leakage significantly expands the set of scenarios where both dealers and the clients whose orders they execute benefit from hedging part of the exposure before the fixing window itself. (Joint work in progress with Roel Oomen (Deutsche Bank) and Mateo Rodriguez Polo (ETH Zurich))

Credibility methods in insurance provide a linear approximation, formulated as a weighted average of claim history, making them highly interpretable for estimating the predictive mean of the a posteriori rate. In this presentation, we extend the credibility method to a generalized coefficient regression model, where credibility factors—interpreted as regression coefficients—are modeled as flexible functions of claim history. This extension, structurally similar to the attention mechanism, enhances both predictive accuracy and interpretability. A key challenge in such models is the potential issue of non-identifiability, where credibility factors may not be uniquely determined. Without ensuring the identifiability of the generalized coefficients, their interpretability remains uncertain. To address this, we first introduce a state-space model (SSM) whose predictive mean has a closed-form expression. We then extend this framework by incorporating neural networks, allowing the predictive mean to be expressed in a closed-form representation of generalized coefficients. We demonstrate that this model guarantees the identifiability of the generalized coefficients. As a result, the proposed model not only offers flexible estimates of future risk—matching the expressive power of neural networks—but also ensures an interpretable representation of credibility factors, with identifiability rigorously established. This presentation is based on joint work with Mario Wuethrich (ETH Zurich) and Hong Beng Lim (Chinese University of Hong Kong).

We apply computational techniques of convex stochastic optimization to optimal operation and valuation of electricity storages in the face of uncertain electricity prices. Our approach is based on quadrature approximations of Markov processes and on the Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming (SDDP) algorithm which is widely applied across the energy industry. The approach is applicable to various specifications of storages, and it allows for e.g. hard constraints on storage capacity and charging speed. Our valuations are based on the indifference pricing principle, which builds on optimal trading strategies and calibrates to the user's initial position, market views and risk preferences. We illustrate the effects of storage capacity and charging speed by numerically computing the valuations using stochastic dual dynamic programming. If time permits, we provide theoretical justification of the employed computational techniques.

We extend the popular Gibson and Schwartz (1990) and Schwartz and Smith (2000) two-factor models for the spot price of a commodity to include stochastic volatility and correlation. This generalization is based on the Wishart variance-covariance matrix process. For both of the extended models we present the joint characteristic functions of the two state variables. The original models are known to fit the term-structure of implied volatility in futures and options markets very well. However, the extended models are also able to match volatility smiles observed in these markets. Regarding the analysis of financial time series, the assumption of a constant correlation between the state variables is known to be too restrictive. Introducing time-varying correlation via the Wishart process allows us to study its empirical behaviour in commodity markets through the use of filtering techniques.

In this interdisciplinary study at the interface of finance theory and quantum theory, we consider a rational agent who at time 0 enters into a financial contract for which the payout is determined by a quantum measurement at some time T > 0. The state of the quantum system is given in the Heisenberg representation by a known density matrix p. How much will the agent be willing to pay at time 0 to enter into such a contract? In the case of a finite dimensional Hilbert space H, each such claim is represented by an observable X where the eigenvalues of X determine the amount paid if the corresponding outcome is obtained in the measurement. We use Gleason's theorem to prove, under reasonable axioms, that there exists a pricing state q which is equivalent to the physical state p such that the pricing function Π takes the linear form Π(X) = P0T tr(qX) for any claim X, where P0T is the one-period discount factor. By ‘equivalent’ we mean that p and q share the same null space: that is, for any |ξ⟩ ∈ H one has p|ξ⟩ = 0 if and only if q|ξ ⟩ = 0. We introduce a class of optimization problems and solve for the optimal contract payout structure for a claim based on a given measurement. Then we consider the implications of the Kochen–Specker theorem in this setting and we look at the problem of forming portfolios of such contracts. This work illustrates how ideas from the theory of finance can be successfully applied in a non-Kolmogorovian setting. Based on work with Leandro Sánchez-Betancourt (Oxford). The paper can be found at J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 57 (2024) 285302.

We explain the multivariate regular variation and a tail dependence measure "extremogram and cross-extremogram", taking a bivariate GARCH model as an example. We show that the tails of the components of a bivariate GARCH(1,1) process may exhibit power law behavior but, depending on the choice of the parameters, the tail indices of the components may differ. Then, we derive asymptotic theory for the extremogram and cross-extremogram of a bivariate GARCH(1,1) process. Moreover, we discuss what GARCH models can and cannot do in terms of the tail modeling, while comparing stochastic volatility models. We also mention limitations of the current notion of multivariate regular variation and we pose several problems to be solved.

Abstract. In the first part of the talk, we discuss convex risk measures with weak optimal transport penalties. We show that these risk easures allow for an explicit representation via a nonlinear transform of the loss function. We also discuss computational aspects related to the nonlinear transform as well as approximations of the risk measures using, for example, neural networks. Our setup comprises a variety of examples, such as classical optimal transport penalties, parametric families of models, divergence risk measures, uncertainty on path spaces, moment constraints, and martingale constraints. In the second part, we focus on classical transport penalties and consider a suitable multi-stage iteration of these risk measures. Such multi-stage iteration naturally defines a dynamically consistent risk measure which takes into account uncertainty around the increments of an underlying Lévy process. Using direct arguments, we show that passing to the limit in the number of iterations yields a convex monotone semigroup, and obtain explicit convergence rates for the approximation. Finally, we associate this semigroup with the solution to a drift control problem.