Recursive Utility Processes, Dynamic Risk Measures and Quadratic Backward Stochastic Volterra Integral Equations

Abstract

For an $\cF_T$-measurable payoff of a European type contingent claim, the recursive utility process/dynamic risk measure can be described by the adapted solution to a backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE). However, for an $\cF_T$-measurable stochastic process (called a position process, not necessarily $\dbF$-adapted), mimicking BSDE's approach will lead to a time-inconsistent recursive utility/dynamic risk measure. It is found that a more proper approach is to use the adapted solution to a backward stochastic Volterra integral equation (BSVIE). The corresponding notions are called equilibrium recursive utility and equilibrium dynamic risk measure, respectively. Motivated by this, the current paper is concerned with BSVIEs whose generators are allowed to have quadratic growth (in $Z(t,s)$). The existence and uniqueness for both the so-called adapted solutions and adapted M-solutions are established. A comparison theorem for adapted solutions to the so-called Type-I BSVIEs is established as well. As consequences of these results, some general continuous-time equilibrium dynamic risk measures and equilibrium recursive utility processes are constructed.