English

State-dependent utility maximization in L\'evy markets

Portfolio Management 2009-01-15 v1 Computational Finance

Abstract

We revisit Merton's portfolio optimization problem under boun-ded state-dependent utility functions, in a market driven by a L\'evy process ZZ extending results by Karatzas et. al. (1991) and Kunita (2003). The problem is solved using a dual variational problem as it is customarily done for non-Markovian models. One of the main features here is that the domain of the dual problem enjoys an explicit "parametrization", built on a multiplicative optional decomposition for nonnegative supermartingales due to F\"ollmer and Kramkov (1997). As a key step in obtaining the representation result we prove a closure property for integrals with respect to Poisson random measures, a result of interest on its own that extends the analog property for integrals with respect to a fixed semimartingale due to M\'emin (1980). In the case that (i) the L\'evy measure of ZZ is atomic with a finite number of atoms or that (ii) ΔSt/St=ζtϑ(ΔZt)\Delta S_{t}/S_{t^{-}}=\zeta_{t} \vartheta(\Delta Z_{t}) for a process ζ\zeta and a deterministic function ϑ\vartheta, we explicitly characterize the admissible trading strategies and show that the dual solution is a risk-neutral local martingale.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0901.2070,
  title  = {State-dependent utility maximization in L\'evy markets},
  author = {Jose E. Figueroa-Lopez and Jin Ma},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0901.2070},
  year   = {2009}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-21T12:00:50.956Z