Study optimal stopping for variable annuity contracts with discontinuous rewards.
problem Optimal timing to surrender a variable annuity contract with guaranteed minimum benefit.
method Analytical study of an optimal stopping problem with a discontinuous reward function, considering general fee and surrender charge functions.
result Characterization of the surrender region and its interrelation with fee and surrender charge functions.
Study of participating policies with guaranteed minimum interest rate and surrender option.
problem Analyzing the value and optimal surrender strategy of participating policies with minimum interest rate guarantee and surrender option.
method Probabilistic analysis using optimal stopping and free boundary theory.
result Identification of an optimal surrender strategy involving stop-loss and too-good-to-persist boundaries.
Under the optimal withdrawal strategy of a policyholder, the pricing of variable annuities with Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) is an optimal stochastic control problem. The surrender feature available in marketed products allows termination of the contract before maturity, making it also an optimal stoppi…
Study analyzes fees linked to VIX index in annuity contracts.
problem Impact of VIX-linked fees on annuity contract surrender strategies.
method Two-layer continuous-time Markov chain approximation for fund value process.
result Optimal surrender strategy is more robust to VIX-linked fees.
The paper analyzes Variable Annuities with surrender charges, providing a pricing formula and optimal exercise boundary.
problem Analyzing Variable Annuities with surrender charges and early termination rights.
method Formulated as an optimal stopping problem with a discontinuous payoff, non-monotonic optimal stopping boundaries are proven continuous and regular.
result A rigorous pricing formula and optimal exercise boundary for surrender options are derived.
We find the minimum probability of lifetime ruin of an investor who can invest in a market with a risky and a riskless asset and who can purchase a reversible life annuity. The surrender charge of a life annuity is a proportion of its value. Ruin occurs when the total of the value of the risky and riskless assets and t…
Enhances valuation of variable annuities with stochastic interest rate models.
problem Valuation and optimal surrender strategies for variable annuities in Lévy models.
method Hybrid numerical method combining tree methods for interest rate modeling and finite difference techniques for asset price.
result Influence of stochastic interest rates on surrender decisions and contract design.
The paper values variable annuities using complex stochastic models and deep learning.
problem Valuation of variable annuities with early surrender options under non-Markovian models.
method Developed a deep signature Least Squares Monte Carlo approach to handle path-dependent continuation values.
result Fair fees increase with Hurst parameters of stock volatility and mortality force.
The study improves life insurance surrender risk modeling using various machine learning techniques.
problem Accurate modeling of surrender risk in life insurance to meet Solvency II directive requirements.
method Extensive experiments with XGBoost, random forest, GLM, and neural networks; resampling analysis; time-dependent confidence bands.
result Models trained on resampled data predict significantly biased event probabilities, highlighting the need for complementary assessments.
Novel pricing method for equity-indexed annuities under uncertain volatility and stochastic interest rate.
problem Pricing equity-indexed annuities with early surrender risk under uncertain market conditions.
method Advanced financial modeling techniques, including uncertain volatility framework and Hull-White model for interest rate dynamics. Numerical algorithm using tree-based framework with local volatility optimization.
result High effectiveness of the proposed numerical algorithm compared to machine learning-based methods.
This paper proposes a market consistent valuation framework for variable annuities with guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit, death benefit and surrender benefit features. The setup is based on a hybrid model for the financial market and uses time-inhomogeneous Lévy processes as risk drivers. Further, we allow for d…
We study the modelling and valuation of surrender and other behavioural options in life insurance and pension. We place ourselves in between the two extremes of completely arbitrary intervention and optimal intervention by the policyholder. We present a method that is based on differential equations and that can be use…
Model evaluates insurance risk using thermodynamic principles.
problem Risk of lapses due to adverse selection in insurance.
method Collective model with diffusion process influenced by statistical mechanics.
result Derives level premium to evaluate insurance risk.
The paper develops a valuation framework for GLWB-LTC contracts with Levy dynamics and stochastic interest rates.
problem Valuation of GLWB-LTC contracts with financial guarantees, longevity protection, and health-contingent LTC payments.
method Coupling a recombining Hull-White trinomial tree with an IMEX finite difference scheme, incorporating a seven-state health model.
result Hybrid tree-IMEX method delivers stable long-maturity prices consistent with simulation benchmarks.
The paper analyzes GMWB annuities in low interest rate environments.
problem Valuation of GMWB annuities in low interest rate conditions.
method Dynamic programming and Hull-White interest rate model.
result Low interest rates increase the fair value of GMWB annuities.
Valuing Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) has attracted significant attention from both the academic field and real world financial markets. As remarked by Yang and Dai, the Black and Scholes framework seems to be inappropriate for such a long maturity products. Also Chen Vetzal and Forsyth in showed that th…
New algorithms improve boosting by optimizing chance-corrected measures.
problem Improving boosting algorithms to use chance-corrected measures effectively.
method Developed new algorithms (AdaBook and Multibook) that optimize chance-corrected measures.
result AdaBook and Multibook outperform standard Multiboost or AdaBoost in multiclass situations.
A large collection of financial contracts offering guaranteed minimum benefits are often posed as control problems, in which at any point in the solution domain, a control is able to take any one of an uncountable number of values from the admissible set. Often, such contracts specify that the holder exert control at a…
We construct a binomial model for a guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit (GMWB) rider to a variable annuity (VA) under optimal policyholder behaviour. The binomial model results in explicitly formulated perfect hedging strategies funded using only periodic fee income. We consider the separate perspectives of the insur…
Study reveals inefficiencies in EU carbon trading market.
problem Inefficiencies in carbon trading market undermine emission reduction goals.
method Analysis of granular transaction data from 2005-2020.
result 40% of firms never trade in a given year, and many trade only during high-price months.
The guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit (GMWB) rider, as an add on to a variable annuity (VA), guarantees the return of premiums in the form of peri- odic withdrawals while allowing policyholders to participate fully in any market gains. GMWB riders represent an embedded option on the account value with a fee structu…
Investigates optimal withdrawal strategies in VA contracts with tax and ratchet mechanisms.
problem Optimizing withdrawal strategies and behavior of policyholders in VA contracts with tax and ratchet mechanisms.
method Solving a backward dynamic programming problem to optimize cash flows from VA contracts, considering hybrid products and taxation effects.
result Tax-shielding effect of the cash fund enhances contract attractiveness, ratchet mechanism discourages early surrender, and cash fund discourages active withdrawals.
Proposes GLWB-LTC for enhanced life care annuities with dynamic withdrawal strategies and stochastic interest rates.
problem Improving life care annuity features and pricing methods.
method Introduces GLWB-LTC with dynamic withdrawal strategies and stochastic interest rates. Solves the stochastic control problem using a robust tree method.
result Optimal withdrawal strategies vary over time with policyholder's health status, highlighting the advantage of flexibility.
Develops a unified framework for valuing insurance products with guarantees.
problem Valuing insurance products with guarantees in an affine setting.
method General affine approach to model financial markets, mortality, and policyholder behavior.
result Explicit valuation formulas for variable annuities and related contracts derived.
Model analyzes trading frictions in cap-and-trade markets, showing how they interact to affect market effectiveness.
problem Analyzing how trading frictions impact cap-and-trade market effectiveness.
method Developed a dynamic stochastic model with multiple trading frictions, characterized access choices in closed form, and quantified using EU ETS data.
result Trading frictions interact to amplify or dampen market responses, and their combined effect is non-additive.
Federated CTMC model estimates bridge deterioration hazards without sharing raw data.
problem Bridge inspection data privacy and cross-organizational data sharing constraints.
method Federated CTMC hazard model with local optimization and FedAvg aggregation.
result Federated model converges on global benchmark parameters without data transfer.
The aim of this paper is to introduce a synthetic ALM model that catches the main specificity of life insurance contracts. First, it keeps track of both market and book values to apply the regulatory profit sharing rule. Second, it introduces a determination of the crediting rate to policyholders that is close to the p…
Model for multi-period carbon market pricing with allowances.
problem Carbon market pricing with multiple trading periods and compliance times.
method Singular forward-backward stochastic differential equations (SDEs).
result Value function convergence to infinite period model under certain conditions.
Extends insurance-finance arbitrage concept to include model uncertainty.
problem Evaluating hybrid insurance products in uncertain financial markets.
method Introduces robust asymptotic insurance-finance arbitrage and QP-evaluations. result No robust asymptotic insurance-finance arbitrage exists under certain conditions.
This paper explores how insurance contracts can be traded in financial markets.
problem The exclusion of arbitrage in insurance contracts due to their non-tradability.
method Defining strategies on insurance portfolios and combining them with financial trading strategies.
result The existence of an insurance-finance-consistent probability, leading to the expected discounted cash-flows.
Bayesian optimization reduces computational effort in aircraft design optimization.
problem High computational cost in industrial aircraft design optimization.
method Constrained Bayesian optimization (Super Efficient Global Optimization with Mixture of Experts)
result Significant computational efficiency improvements over existing Isight optimizers.
Bayesian optimization method tackles combinatorial spaces, scalable for large data.
problem Optimization over combinatorial categorical spaces in natural sciences.
method Combines variational optimization and continuous relaxations for gradient-based optimization.
result Method performs comparably to state-of-the-art methods while scaling well.
New algorithm solves complex stopping problems with robust optimization.
problem Solving complex stochastic optimal stopping problems.
method Simulation-based robust optimization with exact reformulation as a zero-one bilinear program.
result Developed polynomial-time heuristics and algorithms for practical solution.
L2O uses ML to optimize traditional optimization techniques.
problem Real-world optimization problems with shared structures.
method Exploiting shared structures to enhance optimization techniques.
result Better or faster solutions through machine learning integration.
When hyperparameter optimization of a machine learning algorithm is repeated for multiple datasets it is possible to transfer knowledge to an optimization run on a new dataset. We develop a new hyperparameter-free ensemble model for Bayesian optimization that is a generalization of two existing transfer learning extens…
Meta algorithm solves multivariate optimization using univariate optimizers.
problem Multivariate global optimization problems.
method Meta algorithm combining univariate global optimizers.
result Meta algorithm provides robust regret guarantees.
A novel neural network approach for optimization problems.
problem Constrained optimization problems.
method Neural Optimization Machine (NOM) using a specially designed NN architecture and training procedure.
result Solves optimization problems efficiently, especially in high-dimensional spaces.
New algorithms ensure reproducibility and optimal convergence in convex optimization.
problem Trade-off between reproducibility and convergence rate in convex optimization.
method Regularization-based algorithms for smooth convex minimization and minimax optimization.
result Achieves optimal reproducibility and near-optimal gradient complexity for various oracle settings.
New algorithm selects robust martingale for optimal stopping problems.
problem Optimal stopping problems in stochastic processes.
method Randomized dual martingale minimization algorithm.
result Efficiently selects Doob martingale as close as possible.
Numerical optimization is an important tool in the field of computational physics in general and in nano-optics in specific. It has attracted attention with the increase in complexity of structures that can be realized with nowadays nano-fabrication technologies for which a rational design is no longer feasible. Also, …
This paper shows how to combine optimal tests into log-optimal processes.
problem How to combine optimal sequential tests into log-optimal processes.
method Using a new class of WAIT e-processes, the paper aggregates asymptotically optimal sequential tests into asymptotically log-optimal processes.
result It is possible to aggregate asymptotically optimal sequential tests into asymptotically log-optimal e-processes.
Learning optimal feedback control laws capable of executing optimal trajectories is essential for many robotic applications. Such policies can be learned using reinforcement learning or planned using optimal control. While reinforcement learning is sample inefficient, optimal control only plans an optimal trajectory fr…
Paper studies optimal control for a specific geometric problem.
problem Optimal control problem associated with the Paneitz obstacle problem.
method Existence and regularity results for optimal controls.
result Existence of optimal controls and their properties.
New algorithm AG-OG optimizes separable convex-concave problems efficiently.
problem Efficiently solving separable convex-concave minimax optimization problems.
method Leverages Nesterov acceleration and optimistic gradient on component and coupling parts of the problem.
result Achieves optimal convergence rate for various settings including bilinearly coupled problems.
Adapts Bayesian optimization for mixed constraints in aircraft design.
problem Optimizing expensive black box functions with mixed constraints.
method Super efficient global optimization with upper trust bound for constraints, Gaussian process uncertainty, refinement procedure.
result Superior performance on aircraft design problem compared to state-of-the-art solvers.
Adam optimizer converges to zeros of a new vector field, not just gradient zeros.
problem Prove convergence rates for Adam optimizer in simple quadratic optimization problems.
method Introduced Adam vector field to analyze Adam optimizer's convergence.
result Established optimal convergence rates for Adam optimizer.
Optimal crypto asset routing with CFMMs, including fixed costs.
problem Optimizing order execution on a network of CFMMs with fixed costs.
method Convex optimization for no fixed costs, mixed-integer convex for fixed costs, heuristics for approximate solutions.
result Approximate solutions to optimal routing and arbitrage certification problems.
BOSH optimizes functions with stochastic evaluations more efficiently and precisely.
problem Optimizing functions with noisy evaluations can lead to suboptimal solutions.
method BOSH uses a hierarchical Gaussian process to generate a growing pool of realizations.
result BOSH provides more efficient and higher-precision optimization than standard BO.