Search

We study a problem of optimal irreversible investment and emission reduction formulated as a nonzero-sum dynamic game between an investor with environmental preferences and a firm. The game is set in continuous time on an infinite-time horizon. The firm generates profits with a stochastic dynamics and may spend part of its revenues towards emission reduction (e.g., renovating the infrastructure). The firm's objective is to maximize the discounted expectation of a function of its profits. The investor participates in the profits and may decide to invest to support the firm's production capacity. The investor uses a profit function which accounts for both financial and environmental factors. Nash equilibria of the game are obtained via a system of variational inequalities. We formulate a general verification theorem for this system in a diffusive setup and construct an explicit solution in the zero-noise limit. Our explicit results and numerical approximations show that both the investor's and the firm's optimal actions are triggered by moving boundaries that increase with the total amount of emission abatement., Comment: 40 pages; 7 figures

We prove existence of a value for two-player zero-sum stopper vs. singular-controller games on finite-time horizon, when the underlying dynamics is one-dimensional, diffusive and bound to evolve in $[0,\infty)$. We show that the value is the maximal solution of a variational inequality with both obstacle and gradient constraint and satisfying a Dirichlet boundary condition at $[0,T)\times\{0\}$. Moreover, we obtain an optimal strategy for the stopper. In order to achieve our goals, we rely on new probabilistic methods, yielding gradient bounds and equi-continuity for the solutions of penalised partial differential equations that approximate the variational inequality., Comment: 41 pages

We obtain the first probabilistic proof of continuous differentiability of time-dependent optimal boundaries in optimal stopping problems. The underlying stochastic dynamics is a one-dimensional, time-inhomogeneous diffusion. The gain function is also time-inhomogeneous and not necessarily smooth. Moreover, we include state-dependent discount rate and the time-horizon can be either finite or infinite. Our arguments of proof are of a local nature that allows us to obtain the result under more general conditions than those used in the PDE literature. As a byproduct of our main result we also obtain the first probabilistic proof of the link between the value function of an optimal stopping problem and the solution of the Stefan's problem., Comment: 41 pages

In this paper we provide a theoretical analysis of Variable Annuities with a focus on the holder's right to an early termination of the contract. We obtain a rigorous pricing formula and the optimal exercise boundary for the surrender option. We also illustrate our theoretical results with extensive numerical experiments. The pricing problem is formulated as an optimal stopping problem with a time-dependent payoff which is discontinuous at the maturity of the contract and non-smooth. This structure leads to non-monotonic optimal stopping boundaries which we prove nevertheless to be continuous and regular in the sense of diffusions for the stopping set. The lack of monotonicity of the boundary makes it impossible to use classical methods from optimal stopping. Also more recent results about Lipschitz continuous boundaries are not applicable in our setup. Thus, we contribute a new methodology for non-monotone stopping boundaries.

We construct a saddle point in a class of zero-sum games between a stopper and a singular-controller. The underlying dynamics is a one-dimensional, time-homogeneous, singularly controlled diffusion taking values either on $\mathbb{R}$ or on $[0,\infty)$. The games are set on a finite-time horizon, thus leading to analytical problems in the form of parabolic variational inequalities with gradient and obstacle constraints. The saddle point is characterised in terms of two moving boundaries: an optimal stopping boundary and an optimal control boundary. These boundaries allow us to construct an optimal stopping time for the stopper and an optimal control for the singular-controller. Our method relies on a new link between the value function of the game and the value function of an auxiliary optimal stopping problem with absorption. We show that the smooth-fit condition at the stopper's optimal boundary (in the game), translates into an absorption condition in the auxiliary problem. This is somewhat in contrast with results obtained in problems of singular control with absorption and it highlights the key role of smooth-fit in this context., Comment: 31 pages

We construct Nash equilibria in feedback form for a class of two-person stochastic games of singular control with absorption, arising from a stylized model for corporate finance. More precisely, the paper focusses on a strategic dynamic game in which two financially-constrained firms operate in the same market. The firms distribute dividends and are faced with default risk. The strategic interaction arises from the fact that if one firm defaults, the other one becomes a monopolist and increases its profitability. The firms choose their dividend distribution policies from a class of randomised strategies and we identify two types of equilibria, depending on the firms' initial endowments. In both situations the optimal strategies and the equilibrium payoffs are found explicitly., Comment: 40 pages, 1 figure, new Abstract and Introduction, new Section 3

We study zero-sum stochastic games between a singular controller and a stopper when the (state-dependent) diffusion matrix of the underlying controlled diffusion process is degenerate. In particular, we show the existence of a value for the game and determine an optimal strategy for the stopper. The degeneracy of the dynamics prevents the use of analytical methods based on solution in Sobolev spaces of suitable variational problems. Therefore we adopt a probabilistic approach based on a perturbation of the underlying diffusion modulated by a parameter $\gamma>0$. For each $\gamma>0$ the approximating game is non-degenerate and admits a value $u^\gamma$ and an optimal strategy $\tau^\gamma_*$ for the stopper. Letting $\gamma\to 0$ we prove convergence of $u^\gamma$ to a function $v$, which identifies the value of the original game. We also construct explicitly optimal stopping times $\theta^\gamma_*$ for $u^\gamma$, related but not equal to $\tau^\gamma_*$, which converge almost surely to an optimal stopping time $\theta_*$ for the game with degenerate dynamics., Comment: 18 pages

We consider a class of zero-sum stopper vs. singular-controller games in which the controller can only act on a subset $d_0

We formulate and solve a variant of the quickest detection problem which features false negatives. A standard Brownian motion acquires a drift at an independent exponential random time which is not directly observable. Based on the observation in continuous time of the sample path of the process, an optimizer must detect the drift as quickly as possible after it has appeared. The optimizer can inspect the system multiple times upon payment of a fixed cost per inspection. If a test is performed on the system before the drift has appeared then, naturally, the test will return a negative outcome. However, if a test is performed after the drift has appeared, then the test may fail to detect it and return a false negative with probability $\epsilon\in(0,1)$. The optimisation ends when the drift is eventually detected. The problem is formulated mathematically as an optimal multiple stopping problem, and it is shown to be equivalent to a recursive optimal stopping problem. Exploiting such connection and free boundary methods we find explicit formulae for the expected cost and the optimal strategy. We also show that when $\epsilon = 0$ our expected cost is an affine transformation of the one in Shiryaev's classical optimal detection problem with a rescaled model parameter.

Motivated by a new formulation of the classical dividend problem, we show that Peskir's maximality principle can be transferred to singular stochastic control problems with 2-dimensional degenerate dynamics and absorption along the diagonal of the state space. We construct an optimal control as a Skorokhod reflection along a moving barrier, where the barrier can be computed analytically as the smallest solution to a certain non-linear ordinary differential equation. Contrarily to the classical 1-dimensional formulation of the dividend problem, our framework produces a non-trivial solution when the firm's (pre-dividend) equity capital evolves as a geometric Brownian motion. Such solution is also qualitatively different from the one traditionally obtained for the arithmetic Brownian motion., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, amended abstract; To appear in SIAM J. Control Optim

We study a class of zero-sum games between a singular-controller and a stopper over finite-time horizon. The underlying process is a multi-dimensional (locally non-degenerate) controlled stochastic differential equation (SDE) evolving in an unbounded domain. We prove that such games admit a value and provide an optimal strategy for the stopper. The value of the game is shown to be the maximal solution, in a suitable Sobolev class, of a variational inequality of `min-max' type with obstacle constraint and gradient constraint. Although the variational inequality and the game are solved on an unbounded domain we do not require boundedness of either the coefficients of the controlled SDE or of the cost functions in the game., Comment: 38 pages

We prove the dynamic programming principle (DPP) in a class of problems where an agent controls a $d$-dimensional diffusive dynamics via both classical and singular controls and, moreover, is able to terminate the optimisation at a time of her choosing, prior to a given maturity. The time-horizon of the problem is random and it is the smallest between a fixed terminal time and the first exit time of the state dynamics from a Borel set. We consider both the cases in which the total available fuel for the singular control is either bounded or unbounded. We build upon existing proofs of DPP and extend results available in the traditional literature on singular control (e.g., Haussmann and Suo, SIAM J. Control Optim., 33, 1995) by relaxing some key assumptions and including the discretionary stopping feature. We also connect with more general versions of the DPP (e.g., Bouchard and Touzi, SIAM J. Control Optim., 49, 2011) by showing in detail how our class of problems meets the abstract requirements therein.

We show that optimal stopping surfaces $(t,y)\mapsto x_*(t,y)$ arising from time-inhomogeneous optimal stopping problems on two-dimensional jump-diffusions $(X,Y)$ are continuous (jointly in time and space) under mild monotonicity and regularity assumptions of local nature., Comment: 18 pages, strengthened discussion of related literature

In this paper we study pricing of American put options on the Black and Scholes market with a stochastic interest rate and finite-time maturity. We prove that the option value is a $C^1$ function of the initial time, interest rate and stock price. By means of Ito calculus we rigorously derive the option value's early exercise premium formula and the associated hedging portfolio. We prove the existence of an optimal exercise boundary splitting the state space into continuation and stopping region. The boundary has a parametrisation as a jointly continuous function of time and stock price, and it is the unique solution to an integral equation which we compute numerically. Our results hold for a large class of interest rate models including CIR and Vasicek models. We show a numerical study of the option price and the optimal exercise boundary for Vasicek model., Comment: Corrections in proofs of Propositions 3.3 and 3.11

We derive a change of variable formula for $C^1$ functions $U:\R_+\times\R^m\to\R$ whose second order spatial derivatives may explode and not be integrable in the neighbourhood of a surface $b:\R_+\times\R^{m-1}\to \R$ that splits the state space into two sets $\cC$ and $\cD$. The formula is tailored for applications in problems of optimal stopping where it is generally very hard to control the second order derivatives of the value function near the optimal stopping boundary. Differently to other existing papers on similar topics we only require that the surface $b$ be monotonic in each variable and we formally obtain the same expression as the classical It\^o's formula., Comment: 26 pages; final version accepted for publication

We consider optimal stopping problems with finite-time horizon and state-dependent discounting. The underlying process is a one-dimensional linear diffusion and the gain function is time-homogeneous and difference of two convex functions. Under mild technical assumptions with local nature we prove fine regularity properties of the optimal stopping boundary including its continuity and strict monotonicity. The latter was never proven with probabilistic arguments. We also show that atoms in the signed measure associated with the second order spatial derivative of the gain function induce geometric properties of the continuation/stopping set that cannot be observed with smoother gain functions (we call them \emph{continuation bays} and \emph{stopping spikes}). The value function is continuously differentiable in time without any requirement on the smoothness of the gain function., Comment: 41 pages, 2 figures; final version accepted for publication in EJP; corrected few typos

We prove that zero-sum Dynkin games in continuous time with partial and asymmetric information admit a value in randomised stopping times when the stopping payoffs of the players are general \cadlag measurable processes. As a by-product of our method of proof we also obtain existence of optimal strategies for both players. The main novelties are that we do not assume a Markovian nature of the game nor a particular structure of the information available to the players. This allows us to go beyond the variational methods (based on PDEs) developed in the literature on Dynkin games in continuous time with partial/asymmetric information. Instead, we focus on a probabilistic and functional analytic approach based on the general theory of stochastic processes and Sion's min-max theorem (M. Sion, Pacific J. Math., 8, 1958, pp. 171-176). Our framework encompasses examples found in the literature on continuous time Dynkin games with asymmetric information and we provide counterexamples to show that our assumptions cannot be further relaxed., Comment: Changes include the proof of existence of a saddle point for the game and inclusion of a separate payoff when players stop at the same time. There are also some editorial changes and improvements in presentation

We study Nash equilibria for a sequence of symmetric $N$-player stochastic games of finite-fuel capacity expansion with singular controls and their mean-field game (MFG) counterpart. We construct a solution of the MFG via a simple iterative scheme that produces an optimal control in terms of a Skorokhod reflection at a (state-dependent) surface that splits the state space into action and inaction regions. We then show that a solution of the MFG of capacity expansion induces approximate Nash equilibria for the $N$-player games with approximation error $\varepsilon$ going to zero as $N$ tends to infinity. Our analysis relies entirely on probabilistic methods and extends the well-known connection between singular stochastic control and optimal stopping to a mean-field framework.

Adopting a probabilistic approach we determine the optimal dividend payout policy of a firm whose surplus process follows a controlled arithmetic Brownian motion and whose cash-flows are discounted at a stochastic dynamic rate. Dividends can be paid to shareholders at unrestricted rates so that the problem is cast as one of singular stochastic control. The stochastic interest rate is modelled by a Cox-Ingersoll-Ross (CIR) process and the firm's objective is to maximize the total expected flow of discounted dividends until a possible insolvency time. We find an optimal dividend payout policy which is such that the surplus process is kept below an endogenously determined stochastic threshold expressed as a decreasing continuous function $r \mapsto b(r)$ of the current interest rate value. We also prove that the value function of the singular control problem solves a variational inequality associated to a second-order, non-degenerate elliptic operator, with a gradient constraint., Comment: 4 figures

We perform a detailed theoretical study of the value of a class of participating policies with four key features: $(i)$ the policyholder is guaranteed a minimum interest rate on the policy reserve; $(ii)$ the contract can be terminated by the holder at any time until maturity (surrender option); $(iii)$ at the maturity (or upon surrender) a bonus can be credited to the holder if the portfolio backing the policy outperforms the current policy reserve; $(iv)$ due to solvency requirements the contract ends if the value of the underlying portfolio of assets falls below the policy reserve. Our analysis is probabilistic and it relies on optimal stopping and free boundary theory. We find a structure of the optimal surrender strategy which was undetected by previous (mostly numerical) studies on the same topic. Optimal surrender of the contract is triggered by two `stop-loss' boundaries and by a `too-good-to-persist' boundary (in the language of \cite{EV20}). Financial implications of this strategy are discussed in detail and supported by extensive numerical experiments., Comment: 38 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in Finance and Stochastics

It is well-known that using delta hedging to hedge financial options is not feasible in practice. Traders often rely on discrete-time hedging strategies based on fixed trading times or fixed trading prices (i.e., trades only occur if the underlying asset's price reaches some predetermined values). Motivated by this insight and with the aim of obtaining explicit solutions, we consider the seller of a perpetual American put option who can hedge her portfolio once until the underlying stock price leaves a certain range of values $(a,b)$. We determine optimal trading boundaries as functions of the initial stock holding, and an optimal hedging strategy for a bond/stock portfolio. Optimality here refers to the variance of the hedging error at the (random) time when the stock leaves the interval $(a,b)$. Our study leads to analytical expressions for both the optimal boundaries and the optimal stock holding, which can be evaluated numerically with no effort., Comment: Section 6 added and Section 7 expanded

In this paper we present a scheme for the numerical solution of one-dimensional stochastic differential equations (SDEs) whose drift belongs to a fractional Sobolev space of negative regularity (a subspace of Schwartz distributions). We obtain a rate of convergence in a suitable $L^1$-norm and we implement the scheme numerically. To the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to study (and implement) numerical solutions of SDEs whose drift lives in a space of distributions. As a byproduct we also obtain an estimate of the convergence rate for a numerical scheme applied to SDEs with drift in $L^p$-spaces with $p\in(1,\infty)$., Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures

We study a class of optimal stopping games (Dynkin games) of preemption type, with uncertainty about the existence of competitors. The set-up is well-suited to model, for example, real options in the context of investors who do not want to publicly reveal their interest in a certain business opportunity. We show that there exists a Nash equilibrium in randomized stopping times which is described explicitly in terms of the corresponding one-player game., Comment: 20 pages, 1 figure

In this paper we introduce and solve a class of optimal stopping problems of recursive type. In particular, the stopping payoff depends directly on the value function of the problem itself. In a multi-dimensional Markovian setting we show that the problem is well posed, in the sense that the value is indeed the unique solution to a fixed point problem in a suitable space of continuous functions, and an optimal stopping time exists. We then apply our class of problems to a model for stock trading in two different market venues and we determine the optimal stopping rule in that case., Comment: 36 pages, 2 figures. In this version, we provide a general analysis of a class of recursive optimal stopping problems with both finite-time and infinite-time horizon. We also discuss other applications and provide a comparison with a non-recursive model

In this paper we study the problem of stopping a Brownian bridge $X$ in order to maximise the expected value of an exponential gain function. In particular, we solve the stopping problem $$\sup_{0\le \tau\le 1}\mathsf{E}[\mathrm{e}^{X_\tau}]$$ which was posed by Ernst and Shepp in their paper [Commun. Stoch. Anal., 9 (3), 2015, pp. 419--423] and was motivated by bond selling with non-negative prices. Due to the non-linear structure of the exponential gain, we cannot rely on methods used in the literature to find closed-form solutions to other problems involving the Brownian bridge. Instead, we develop techniques that use pathwise properties of the Brownian bridge and martingale methods of optimal stopping theory in order to find the optimal stopping rule and to show regularity of the value function., Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures

We show that if either the process is strong Feller and the boundary point is probabilistically regular for the stopping set, or the process is strong Markov and the boundary point is probabilistically regular for the interior of the stopping set, then the boundary point is Green regular for the stopping set. Combining this implication with the existence of a continuously differentiable flow of the process we show that the value function is continuously differentiable at the optimal stopping boundary whenever the gain function is so. The derived fact holds both in the parabolic and elliptic case of the boundary value problem under the sole hypothesis of probabilistic regularity of the optimal stopping boundary, thus improving upon known analytic results in the PDE literature, and establishing the fact for the first time in the case of integro-differential equations. The method of proof is purely probabilistic and conceptually simple. Examples of application include the first known probabilistic proof of the fact that the time derivative of the value function in the American put problem is continuous across the optimal stopping boundary., Comment: 29 pages; final version accepted for publication

We study the value and the optimal strategies for a two-player zero-sum optimal stopping game with incomplete and asymmetric information. In our Bayesian set-up, the drift of the underlying diffusion process is unknown to one player (incomplete information feature), but known to the other one (asymmetric information feature). We formulate the problem and reduce it to a fully Markovian setup where the uninformed player optimises over stopping times and the informed one uses randomised stopping times in order to hide their informational advantage. Then we provide a general verification result which allows us to find the value of the game and players' optimal strategies by solving suitable quasi-variational inequalities with some non-standard constraints. Finally, we study an example with linear payoffs, in which an explicit solution of the corresponding quasi-variational inequalities can be obtained., Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, small changes in the terminology from game theory

We study the optimal dividend problem for a firm's manager who has partial information on the profitability of the firm. The problem is formulated as one of singular stochastic control with partial information on the drift of the underlying process and with absorption. In the Markovian formulation, we have a 2-dimensional degenerate diffusion, whose first component is singularly controlled and it is absorbed as it hits zero. The free boundary problem (FBP) associated to the value function of the control problem is challenging from the analytical point of view due to the interplay of degeneracy and absorption. We find a probabilistic way to show that the value function of the dividend problem is a smooth solution of the FBP and to construct an optimal dividend strategy. Our approach establishes a new link between multidimensional singular stochastic control problems with absorption and problems of optimal stopping with `creation'. One key feature of the stopping problem is that creation occurs at a state-dependent rate of the `local-time' of an auxiliary 2-dimensional reflecting diffusion., Comment: 42 pages; improved Prop. 6.2 and Cor. 6.3

In this note we prove existence of a solution to a system of Markovian BSDEs with interconnected obstacles. A key feature of our system, and the main novelty of this paper, is that we allow for the driver $f_i$ of the $i$-th component of the $Y$-process to depend on all components of the $Z$-process. This extends the existing theory on reflected BSDEs, which only addresses problems where $f_i$ depends on $Z^i$., Comment: 16 pages

It is known that the decision to purchase an annuity may be associated to an optimal stopping problem. However, little is known about optimal strategies, if the mortality force is a generic function of time and if the `subjective' life expectancy of the investor differs from the `objective' one adopted by insurance companies to price annuities. In this paper we address this problem considering an individual who invests in a fund and has the option to convert the fund's value into an annuity at any time. We formulate the problem as a real option and perform a detailed probabilistic study of the optimal stopping boundary. Due to the generic time-dependence of the mortality force, our optimal stopping problem requires new solution methods to deal with non-monotonic optimal boundaries., Comment: 34 pages, 5 figures; improved exposition

This paper studies a 2-players zero-sum Dynkin game arising from pricing an option on an asset whose rate of return is unknown to both players. Using filtering techniques we first reduce the problem to a zero-sum Dynkin game on a bi-dimensional diffusion $(X,Y)$. Then we characterize the existence of a Nash equilibrium in pure strategies in which each player stops at the hitting time of $(X,Y)$ to a set with moving boundary. A detailed description of the stopping sets for the two players is provided along with global $C^1$ regularity of the value function., Comment: 37 pages, 1 figure, new Section 8 added; keywords: Zero-sum games; Nash equilibrium; incomplete information; free boundaries

We obtain a probabilistic proof of the local Lipschitz continuity for the optimal stopping boundary of a class of problems with state space $[0,T]\times\mathbb{R}^d$, $d\ge 1$. To the best of our knowledge this is the only existing proof that relies exclusively upon stochastic calculus, all the other proofs making use of PDE techniques and integral equations. Thanks to our approach we obtain our result for a class of diffusions whose associated second order differential operator is not necessarily uniformly elliptic. The latter condition is normally assumed in the related PDE literature., Comment: 33 page; added Lemma 4.4

We characterise the value function of the optimal dividend problem with a finite time horizon as the unique classical solution of a suitable Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. The optimal dividend strategy is realised by a Skorokhod reflection of the fund's value at a time-dependent optimal boundary. Our results are obtained by establishing for the first time a new connection between singular control problems with an absorbing boundary and optimal stopping problems on a diffusion reflected at $0$ and created at a rate proportional to its local time., Comment: 21 pages

A problem of optimally purchasing electricity at a real-valued spot price (that is, with potentially negative cost) has been recently addressed in De Angelis, Ferrari and Moriarty (2015) [SIAM J. Control Optim. 53(3)]. This problem can be considered one of irreversible investment with a cost functional which is non convex with respect to the control variable. In this paper we study the optimal entry into this investment plan. The optimal entry policy can have an irregular boundary arising from this non convexity, with a kinked shape., Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures

In this paper we establish a new connection between a class of 2-player nonzero-sum games of optimal stopping and certain $2$-player nonzero-sum games of singular control. We show that whenever a Nash equilibrium in the game of stopping is attained by hitting times at two separate boundaries, then such boundaries also trigger a Nash equilibrium in the game of singular control. Moreover a differential link between the players' value functions holds across the two games., Comment: 26 pages. Improved the exposition and generalised some results

We establish that the boundaries of the so-called Rost's reversed barrier are the unique couple of left-continuous monotonic functions solving a suitable system of nonlinear integral equations of Volterra type. Our result holds for atom-less target distributions $\mu$ of the related Skorokhod embedding problem. The integral equations we obtain here generalise the ones often arising in optimal stopping literature and our proof of the uniqueness of the solution goes beyond the existing results in the field., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures

This paper analyses two-player nonzero-sum games of optimal stopping on a class of linear regular diffusions with not non-singular boundary behaviour (in the sense of It\^o and McKean (1974), p.\ 108). We provide sufficient conditions under which Nash equilibria are realised by each player stopping the diffusion at one of the two boundary points of an interval. The boundaries of this interval solve a system of algebraic equations. We also provide conditions sufficient for the uniqueness of the equilibrium in this class., Comment: 29 pages; small edits in the text, updated acknowledgement of funding

We provide a new probabilistic proof of the connection between Rost's solution of the Skorokhod embedding problem and a suitable family of optimal stopping problems for Brownian motion with finite time-horizon. In particular we use stochastic calculus to show that the time reversal of the optimal stopping sets for such problems forms the so-called Rost's reversed barrier., Comment: 44 pages, 2 figures, relaxed an assumption, improved presentation and updated references

In this paper we provide a complete theoretical analysis of a two-dimensional degenerate non convex singular stochastic control problem. The optimisation is motivated by a storage-consumption model in an electricity market, and features a stochastic real-valued spot price modelled by Brownian motion. We find analytical expressions for the value function, the optimal control and the boundaries of the action and inaction regions. The optimal policy is characterised in terms of two monotone and discontinuous repelling free boundaries, although part of one boundary is constant and the smooth fit condition holds there., Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures. Improved exposition of the results. This is a revised version of "A solvable two-dimensional degenerate singular stochastic control problem with non convex costs"

We use probabilistic methods to characterise time dependent optimal stopping boundaries in a problem of multiple optimal stopping on a finite time horizon. Motivated by financial applications we consider a payoff of immediate stopping of "put" type and the underlying dynamics follows a geometric Brownian motion. The optimal stopping region relative to each optimal stopping time is described in terms of two boundaries which are continuous, monotonic functions of time and uniquely solve a system of coupled integral equations of Volterra-type. Finally we provide a formula for the value function of the problem., Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures, added a figure

This paper examines a Markovian model for the optimal irreversible investment problem of a firm aiming at minimizing total expected costs of production. We model market uncertainty and the cost of investment per unit of production capacity as two independent one-dimensional regular diffusions, and we consider a general convex running cost function. The optimization problem is set as a three-dimensional degenerate singular stochastic control problem. We provide the optimal control as the solution of a Skorohod reflection problem at a suitable boundary surface. Such boundary arises from the analysis of a family of two-dimensional parameter-dependent optimal stopping problems and it is characterized in terms of the family of unique continuous solutions to parameter-dependent nonlinear integral equations of Fredholm type., Comment: 39 pages

Equivalences are known between problems of singular stochastic control (SSC) with convex performance criteria and related questions of optimal stopping, see for example Karatzas and Shreve [SIAM J. Control Optim. 22 (1984)]. The aim of this paper is to investigate how far connections of this type generalise to a non convex problem of purchasing electricity. Where the classical equivalence breaks down we provide alternative connections to optimal stopping problems. We consider a non convex infinite time horizon SSC problem whose state consists of an uncontrolled diffusion representing a real-valued commodity price, and a controlled increasing bounded process representing an inventory. We analyse the geometry of the action and inaction regions by characterising their (optimal) boundaries. Unlike the case of convex SSC problems we find that the optimal boundaries may be both reflecting and repelling and it is natural to interpret the problem as one of SSC with discretionary stopping., Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures

We provide sufficient conditions for the continuity of the free-boundary in a general class of finite-horizon optimal stopping problems arising for instance in finance and economics. The underlying process is a strong solution of one dimensional, time-homogeneous stochastic differential equation (SDE). The proof relies on both analytic and probabilistic arguments and it is based on a contradiction scheme inspired by the maximum principle in partial differential equations (PDE) theory. Mild, local regularity of the coefficients of the SDE and smoothness of the gain function locally at the boundary are required., Comment: 17 pages

We study a continuous-time, finite horizon, stochastic partially reversible investment problem for a firm producing a single good in a market with frictions. The production capacity is modeled as a one-dimensional, time-homogeneous, linear diffusion controlled by a bounded variation process which represents the cumulative investment-disinvestment strategy. We associate to the investment-disinvestment problem a zero-sum optimal stopping game and characterize its value function through a free-boundary problem with two moving boundaries. These are continuous, bounded and monotone curves that solve a system of non-linear integral equations of Volterra type. The optimal investment-disinvestment strategy is then shown to be a diffusion reflected at the two boundaries., Comment: 36 pages, 1 figure

We study the optimal stopping problem of pricing an American Put option on a Zero Coupon Bond (ZCB) in the Musiela's parametrization of the Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) model for forward interest rates. First we show regularity properties of the price function by probabilistic methods. Then we find an infinite dimensional variational formulation of the pricing problem by approximating the original optimal stopping problem by finite dimensional ones, after a suitable smoothing of the payoff. As expected, the first time the price of the American bond option equals the payoff is shown to be optimal., Comment: 28 pages; we removed the positive part from the discount factor, improved the probabilistic analysis of the value function and provided solutions of the variational inequality in a stronger sense

Recent experimental results demonstrated the generation of a quantum superpositon (MQS), involving a number of photons in excess of 5x10^4, which showed a high resilience to losses. In order to perform a complete analysis on the effects of de-coherence on this multiphoton fields, obtained through the Quantum Injected Optical Parametric Amplifier (QIOPA), we invesigate theoretically the evolution of the Wigner functions associated to these states in lossy conditions. Recognizing the presence of negative regions in the W-representation as an evidence of non-classicality, we focus our analysis on this feature. A close comparison with the MQS based on coherent states allows to identify differences and analogies., Comment: 29 pages, 25 figures

We investigate the multiphoton states generated by high-gain optical parametric amplification of a single injected photon, polarization encoded as a ''qubit''. The experiment configuration exploits the optimal phase-covariant cloning in the high gain regime. The interference fringe pattern showing the non local transfer of coherence between the injected qubit and the mesoscopic amplified output field involving up to 4000 photons has been investigated. A probabilistic new method to extract full information about the multiparticle output wavefunction has been implemented., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

In 1981 N. Herbert proposed a gedanken experiment in order to achieve by the ''First Laser Amplified Superluminal Hookup'' (FLASH) a faster than light communication (FTL) by quantum nonlocality. The present work reports the first experimental realization of that proposal by the optical parametric amplification of a single photon belonging to an entangled EPR pair into an output field involving 5 x 10^3 photons. A thorough theoretical and experimental analysis explains in general and conclusive terms the precise reasons for the failure of the FLASH program as well as of any similar FTL proposals., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures