General Optimal Stopping without Time Consistency
Optimization and Control
2026-02-02 v1
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a new framework for solving a general dynamic optimal stopping problem without time consistency. A sophisticated solution is proposed and is well-defined for any time setting with general flows of objectives. A backward iteration is proposed to find the solution. The iteration works with an additional condition, which holds in interesting cases including the time inconsistency arising from non-exponential discounting. Even if the iteration does not work, the equilibrium solution can still be studied by a forward definition.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2601.23187,
title = {General Optimal Stopping without Time Consistency},
author = {Hanqing Jin and Yanzhao Yang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.23187},
year = {2026}
}
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23 pages