Narrow Results

This paper develops simple and efficient tree approaches for option pricing in switching jump diffusion models where the rates of switching are assumed to depend on the underlying asset price process. The models generalize many existing models in the literature and in particular, the Markovian regime-switching models with jumps. The proposed trees grow linearly as the number of tree steps increases. Conditions on the choices of key parameters for the tree design are provided that guarantee the positivity of branch probabilities. Numerical results are provided and compared with results reported in the literature for the Markovian regime-switching cases. The reported numerical results for the state-dependent switching models are new and can be used for comparison in the future.

This paper deals with optimal prediction in a regime-switching model driven by a continuous-time Markov chain. We extend existing results for geometric Brownian motion by deriving optimal stopping strategies that depend on the current regime state and prove a number of continuity properties relating to optimal value and boundary functions. Our approach replaces the use of closed form expressions, which are not available in our setting, with PDE arguments that also simplify the approach of [du Toit & Peskir (2009) Selling a stock at the ultimate maximum, Annals of Applied Probability19 (3), 983–1014.] in the classical Brownian case.

This paper focuses on optimal asset allocation with stochastic interest rates in regime-switching models. A class of stochastic optimal control problems with Markovian regime-switching is formulated for which a verification theorem is provided. The theory is applied to solve two portfolio optimization problems (a portfolio of stock and savings account and a portfolio of mixed stock, bond and savings account) while a regime-switching Vasicek model is assumed for the interest rate. Closed-form solutions are obtained for a regime-switching power utility function. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the impact of regime-switching on the optimal investment decisions.