On an Optimal Stopping Problem with a Discontinuous Reward

We study an optimal stopping problem with an unbounded, time-dependent and discontinuous reward function. This problem is motivated by the pricing of a variable annuity contract with guaranteed minimum maturity benefit, under the assumption that the policyholder’s surrender behaviour maximizes the r

November 6, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Risk Analysis in the Selection of Project Managers Based on ANP and FMEA

Project managers play a crucial role in the success of projects. The selection of an appropriate project manager is a primary concern for senior managers in firms. Typically, this process involves candidate interviews and assessments of their abilities. There are various criteria for selecting a pro

November 6, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Risk of Transfer Learning and its Applications in Finance

Transfer learning is an emerging and popular paradigm for utilizing existing knowledge from previous learning tasks to improve the performance of new ones. In this paper, we propose a novel concept of transfer risk and and analyze its properties to evaluate transferability of transfer learning. We a

November 6, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Relative Arbitrage Opportunities in an Extended Mean Field System

This paper studies relative arbitrage opportunities in a market with competitive investors through stochastic differential games in the limit as the number of players tends to infinity. With common noises introduced by the stock capitalization processes, we establish a conditional McKean-Vlasov syst

November 5, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Analysis of Decentralization in Governance and Financial Efficiency of Companies: Studying the Relationship in the Field of Decentralized Finance

Currently, the advantages of decentralization through blockchain technology in the financial sector are actively discussed. In this article, we investigate the decentralization in the governance of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) using the Gini coefficient as an indicator of inequality

November 4, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Benchmark Beating with the Increasing Convex Order

In this paper we model benchmark beating with the increasing convex order (ICX order). The mean constraint in the mean-variance theory of portfolio selection can be regarded as beating a constant. We then investigate the problem of minimizing the variance of a portfolio with ICX order constraints, b

November 3, 2023 · 1 min · thequant.space

Maximizing Portfolio Predictability with Machine Learning

We construct the maximally predictable portfolio (MPP) of stocks using machine learning. Solving for the optimal constrained weights in the multi-asset MPP gives portfolios with a high monthly coefficient of determination, given the sample covariance matrix of predicted return errors from a machine

November 3, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Towards a data-driven debt collection strategy based on an advanced machine learning framework

The European debt purchase market as measured by the total book value of purchased debt approached 25bn euros in 2020 and it was growing at double-digit rates. This is an example of how big the debt collection and debt purchase industry has grown and the important impact it has in the financial sect

November 3, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Bank Deposits as {\em Money Quanta}

According to the Accounting View of Money (AVM), the money issued by commercial banks in the form of demand deposits features a hybrid nature, since deposits can be shown to consist of a share of deposits bearing the characteristics of debt (debt-deposits) and a share of deposits bearing the charact

November 2, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Non-linear non-zero-sum Dynkin games with Bermudan strategies

In this paper, we study a non-zero-sum game with two players, where each of the players plays what we call Bermudan strategies and optimizes a general non-linear assessment functional of the pay-off. By using a recursive construction, we show that the game has a Nash equilibrium point.

November 2, 2023 · 1 min · thequant.space

On Finding Bi-objective Pareto-optimal Fraud Prevention Rule Sets for Fintech Applications

Rules are widely used in Fintech institutions to make fraud prevention decisions, since rules are highly interpretable thanks to their intuitive if-then structure. In practice, a two-stage framework of fraud prevention decision rule set mining is usually employed in large Fintech institutions; Stage

November 2, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Power law in Sandwiched Volterra Volatility model

In this paper, we present analytical proof demonstrating that the Sandwiched Volterra Volatility (SVV) model is able to reproduce the power-law behavior of the at-the-money implied volatility skew, provided the correct choice of the Volterra kernel. To obtain this result, we assess the second-order

November 2, 2023 · 1 min · thequant.space

Estimation of VaR with jump process: application in corn and soybean markets

Value at Risk (VaR) is a quantitative measure used to evaluate the risk linked to the potential loss of investment or capital. Estimation of the VaR entails the quantification of prospective losses in a portfolio of investments, using a certain likelihood, under normal market conditions within a spe

November 1, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Impact of Investing Characteristics on Financial Performance of Individual Investors: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study examines which investing characteristics determine success in an equity market. Based on data from 403 respondents, exploratory factor analysis results in 13 factors: middle/long time horizon, qualitative analyst, open-minded/disciplined, organized, emotional stability, naïve,

November 1, 2023 · 1 min · thequant.space

Quantum Computational Algorithms for Derivative Pricing and Credit Risk in a Regime Switching Economy

Quantum computers are not yet up to the task of providing computational advantages for practical stochastic diffusion models commonly used by financial analysts. In this paper we introduce a class of stochastic processes that are both realistic in terms of mimicking financial market risks as well as

November 1, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Characteristics of price related fluctuations in Non-Fungible Token (NFT) market

A non-fungible token (NFT) market is a new trading invention based on the blockchain technology which parallels the cryptocurrency market. In the present work we study capitalization, floor price, the number of transactions, the inter-transaction times, and the transaction volume value of a few sele

October 30, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

From the Top Down: Does Corruption Affect Performance?

Corruption, fraud, and unethical activities have emerged as significant obstacles to global economic, political, and social progress. Although many empirical studies have focused on country-level corruption metrics, this study is the first to utilize a substantial international dataset to assess the

October 30, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Law-Invariant Return and Star-Shaped Risk Measures

This paper presents novel characterization results for classes of law-invariant star-shaped functionals. We begin by establishing characterizations for positively homogeneous and star-shaped functionals that exhibit second- or convex-order stochastic dominance consistency. Building on these characte

October 30, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Robust Estimation of Realized Correlation: New Insight about Intraday Fluctuations in Market Betas

Time-varying volatility is an inherent feature of most economic time-series, which causes standard correlation estimators to be inconsistent. The quadrant correlation estimator is consistent but very inefficient. We propose a novel subsampled quadrant estimator that improves efficiency while preserv

October 30, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space

Optimal fees in hedge funds with first-loss compensation

Hedge fund managers with the first-loss scheme charge a management fee, a performance fee and guarantee to cover a certain amount of investors’ potential losses. We study how parties can choose a mutually preferred first-loss scheme in a hedge fund with the manager’s first-loss deposit and investors

October 29, 2023 · 2 min · thequant.space