arXiv subjects

Jianfeng Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Jianfeng Zhang.

159 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Dual formulation of second order target problems

This paper provides a new formulation of second order stochastic target problems introduced in [SIAM J. Control Optim. 48 (2009) 2344-2365] by modifying the reference probability so as to allow for different scales. This new ingredient enables us to prove a dual formulation of the target problem as the supremum of the solutions of standard backward stochastic differential equations. In particular, in the Markov case, the dual problem is known to be connected to a fully nonlinear, parabolic partial differential equation and this connection can be viewed as a stochastic representation for all nonlinear, scalar, second order, parabolic equations with a convex Hessian dependence.

math.PR↗

arXiv2013

Optimal Stopping under Nonlinear Expectation

Let $X$ be a bounded càdlàg process with positive jumps defined on the canonical space of continuous paths. We consider the problem of optimal stopping the process $X$ under a nonlinear expectation operator $\cE$ defined as the supremum of expectations over a weakly compact family of nondominated measures. We introduce the corresponding nonlinear Snell envelope. Our main objective is to extend the Snell envelope characterization to the present context. Namely, we prove that the nonlinear Snell envelope is an $\cE-$supermartingale, and an $\cE-$martingale up to its first hitting time of the obstacle $X$. This result is obtained under an additional uniform continuity property of $X$. We also extend the result in the context of a random horizon optimal stopping problem. This result is crucial for the newly developed theory of viscosity solutions of path-dependent PDEs as introduced in Ekren et al., in the semilinear case, and extended to the fully nonlinear case in the accompanying papers (Ekren, Touzi, and Zhang, parts I and II).

math.PR↗

arXiv2013

A Complete Representation Theorem for $G$-martingales

In this paper we establish a complete representation theorem for $G$-martingales. Unlike the existing results in the literature, we provide the existence and uniqueness of the second order term, which corresponds to the second order derivative in Markovian case. The main ingredient of the paper is a new norm for that second order term, which is based on an operator introduced by Song [26].

math.PR↗

arXiv2012

Optimal Portfolio Selection under Concave Price Impact

In this paper we study an optimal portfolio selection problem under instantaneous price impact. Based on some empirical analysis in the literature, we model such impact as a concave function of the trading size when the trading size is small. The price impact can be thought of as either a liquidity cost or a transaction cost, but the concavity nature of the cost leads to some fundamental difference from those in the existing literature. We show that the problem can be reduced to an impulse control problem, but without fixed cost, and that the value function is a viscosity solution to a special type of Quasi-Variational Inequality (QVI). We also prove directly (without using the solution to the QVI) that the optimal strategy exists and more importantly, despite the absence of a fixed cost, it is still in a "piecewise constant" form, reflecting a more practical perspective.

math.PR↗

arXiv2012

Some Norm Estimates for Semimartingales

In this paper we introduce a new type of norms for semimartingales, under both linear and nonlinear expectations. Our norm is defined in the spirit of quasimartingales, and it characterizes square integrable semimartingales. This work is motivated by our study of zero-sum stochastic differential games \cite{PZ}, whose value process is conjectured to be a semimartingale under a class of probability measures. As a by product, we establish some a priori estimates for doubly reflected BSDEs without imposing the Mokobodski's condition directly.

math.PR↗

arXiv2012

Two Person Zero-sum Game in Weak Formulation and Path Dependent Bellman-Isaacs Equation

In this paper we study a two person zero sum stochastic differential game in weak formulation. Unlike standard literature which uses strategy type of controls, the weak formulation allows us to consider the game with control against control. We shall prove the existence of game value under natural conditions. Another main feature of the paper is that we allow for non-Markovian structure, and thus the game value is a random process. We characterize the value process as the unique viscosity solution of the corresponding path dependent Bellman-Isaacs equation, a notion recently introduced by Ekren, Keller, Touzi and Zhang (arXiv:1109.5971) and Ekren, Touzi and Zhang.

math.PR↗

arXiv2012

Quasi-sure Stochastic Analysis through Aggregation

This paper is on developing stochastic analysis simultaneously under a general family of probability measures that are not dominated by a single probability measure. The interest in this question originates from the probabilistic representations of fully nonlinear partial differential equations and applications to mathematical finance. The existing literature relies either on the capacity theory (by Denis and Martini), or on the underlying nonlinear partial differential equation (by Peng). In both approaches, the resulting theory requires the smoothness of the corresponding processes and random variables in terms of the underlying canonical process. In this paper, we investigate this question for a larger class of "non-smooth" processes, but with a restricted family of non-dominated probability measures. For smooth processes, our approach leads to similar results as in previous literature, provided the restricted family satisfies an additional density property.

math.PR↗

arXiv2012

Wellposedness of Second Order Backward SDEs

We provide an existence and uniqueness theory for an extension of backward SDEs to the second order. While standard Backward SDEs are naturally connected to semilinear PDEs, our second order extension is connected to fully nonlinear PDEs, as suggested by Cheridito et.al. In particular, we provide a fully nonlinear extension of the Feynman-Kac formula. Unlike the earlier papers, the alternative formulation of this paper insists that the equation must hold under a non-dominated family of mutually singular probability measures. The key argument is a stochastic representation, suggested by the optimal control interpretation, and analyzed in our accompanying paper

math.PR↗

arXiv2010

Backward SDEs with constrained jumps and quasi-variational inequalities

We consider a class of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs) driven by Brownian motion and Poisson random measure, and subject to constraints on the jump component. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the minimal solution for the BSDEs by using a penalization approach. Moreover, we show that under mild conditions the minimal solutions to these constrained BSDEs can be characterized as the unique viscosity solution of quasi-variational inequalities (QVIs), which leads to a probabilistic representation for solutions to QVIs. Such a representation in particular gives a new stochastic formula for value functions of a class of impulse control problems. As a direct consequence, this suggests a numerical scheme for the solution of such QVIs via the simulation of the penalized BSDEs.

math.PR↗

arXiv2009

Estimating nonlinearities in twophase flow in porous media

In order to analyze numerically inverse problems several techniques based on linear and nonlinear stability analysis are presented. These techniques are illustrated on the problem of estimating mobilities and capillary pressure in one-dimensional two-phase displacements in porous media that are performed in laboratories. This is an example of the problem of estimating nonlinear coefficients in a system of nonlinear partial differential equations.

math.NA↗

arXiv2009

Weak solutions for forward--backward SDEs--a martingale problem approach

In this paper, we propose a new notion of Forward--Backward Martingale Problem (FBMP), and study its relationship with the weak solution to the forward--backward stochastic differential equations (FBSDEs). The FBMP extends the idea of the well-known (forward) martingale problem of Stroock and Varadhan, but it is structured specifically to fit the nature of an FBSDE. We first prove a general sufficient condition for the existence of the solution to the FBMP. In the Markovian case with uniformly continuous coefficients, we show that the weak solution to the FBSDE (or equivalently, the solution to the FBMP) does exist. Moreover, we prove that the uniqueness of the FBMP (whence the uniqueness of the weak solution) is determined by the uniqueness of the viscosity solution of the corresponding quasilinear PDE.

math.PR↗

arXiv2008

The Continuous Time Nonzero-sum Dynkin Game Problem and Application in Game Options

In this paper we study the nonzero-sum Dynkin game in continuous time which is a two player non-cooperative game on stopping times. We show that it has a Nash equilibrium point for general stochastic processes. As an application, we consider the problem of pricing American game contingent claims by the utility maximization approach.

q-fin.PR↗

arXiv2008

Time discretization and Markovian iteration for coupled FBSDEs

In this paper we lay the foundation for a numerical algorithm to simulate high-dimensional coupled FBSDEs under weak coupling or monotonicity conditions. In particular, we prove convergence of a time discretization and a Markovian iteration. The iteration differs from standard Picard iterations for FBSDEs in that the dimension of the underlying Markovian process does not increase with the number of iterations. This feature seems to be indispensable for an efficient iterative scheme from a numerical point of view. We finally suggest a fully explicit numerical algorithm and present some numerical examples with up to 10-dimensional state space.

math.PR↗

arXiv2007

The Starting and Stopping Problem under Knightian Uncertainty and Related Systems of Reflected BSDEs

This article deals with the starting and stopping problem under Knightian uncertainty, i.e., roughly speaking, when the probability under which the future evolves is not exactly known. We show that the lower price of a plant submitted to the decisions of starting and stopping is given by a solution of a system of two reflected backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs for short). We solve this latter system and we give the expression of the optimal strategy. Further we consider a more general system of $m$ ($m\geq 2$) reflected BSDEs with interconnected obstacles. Once more we show existence and uniqueness of the solution of that system.

math.PR↗

arXiv2005

Representation of solutions to BSDEs associated with a degenerate FSDE

In this paper we investigate a class of decoupled forward-backward SDEs, where the volatility of the FSDE is degenerate and the terminal value of the BSDE is a discontinuous function of the FSDE. Such an FBSDE is associated with a degenerate parabolic PDE with discontinuous terminal condition. We first establish a Feynman-Kac type representation formula for the spatial derivative of the solution to the PDE. As a consequence, we show that there exists a stopping time τsuch that the martingale integrand of the BSDE is continuous before τand vanishes after τ. However, it may blow up at τ, as illustrated by an example. Moreover, some estimates for the martingale integrand before τare obtained. These results are potentially useful for pricing and hedging discontinuous exotic options (e.g., digital options) when the underlying asset's volatility is small, and they are also useful for studying the rate of convergence of finite-difference approximations for degenerate parabolic PDEs.

math.PR↗