We study submodularity for law-invariant functionals, with particular attention to convex risk measures. Expected losses are modular, and certainty equivalents are submodular exactly when the loss function is convex. Law-invariant coherent risk measures are submodular exactly when they are coherent distortion risk measures, including Expected Shortfall (ES), and several deviation measures are also submodular. Beyond positive homogeneity, submodularity is restrictive for convex risk measures. We give a complete characterization for shortfall risk measures via the Arrow--Pratt measure of risk aversion, show that optimized certainty equivalents are always submodular, and prove that adjusted Expected Shortfall (AES) is submodular only when it reduces to ES. An empirical illustration for daily US equity returns finds no ES submodularity violations, many Value-at-Risk (VaR) violations, and relatively few AES violations.
This paper compares two different frameworks recently introduced in the literature for measuring risk in a multi-period setting. The first corresponds to applying a single coherent risk measure to the cumulative future costs, while the second involves applying a composition of one-step coherent risk mappings. We summarize the relative strengths of the two methods, characterize several necessary and sufficient conditions under which one of the measurements always dominates the other, and introduce a metric to quantify how close the two risk measures are. Using this notion, we address the questi…
We axiomatically introduce risk-consistent conditional systemic risk measures defined on multidimensional risks. This class consists of those conditional systemic risk measures which can be decomposed into a state-wise conditional aggregation and a univariate conditional risk measure. Our studies extend known results for unconditional risk measures on finite state spaces. We argue in favor of a conditional framework on general probability spaces for assessing systemic risk. Mathematically, the problem reduces to selecting a realization of a random field with suitable properties. Moreover, our …
Risk measures for multivariate financial positions are studied in a utility-based framework. Under a certain incomplete preference relation, shortfall and divergence risk measures are defined as the optimal values of specific set minimization problems. The dual relationship between these two classes of multivariate risk measures is constructed via a recent Lagrange duality for set optimization. In particular, it is shown that a shortfall risk measure can be written as an intersection over a family of divergence risk measures indexed by a scalarization parameter. Examples include set-valued ver…
To find a trade-off between profitability and prudence, financial practitioners need to choose appropriate risk measures. Two key points are: Firstly, investors' risk attitudes under uncertainty conditions should be an important reference for risk measures. Secondly, risk attitudes are not absolute. For different market performance, investors have different risk attitudes. We proposed a new risk measure named SlideVaR which sufficiently reflects the different subjective attitudes of investors and the impact of market changes on investors' attitudes. We proposed the concept of risk-tail region …
In the present contribution we characterize law determined convex risk measures that have convex level sets at the level of distributions. By relaxing the assumptions in Weber (2006), we show that these risk measures can be identified with a class of generalized shortfall risk measures. As a direct consequence, we are able to extend the results in Ziegel (2014) and Bellini and Bignozzi (2014) on convex elicitable risk measures and confirm that expectiles are the only elicitable coherent risk measures. Further, we provide a simple characterization of robustness for convex risk measures in terms…
Risk measures connect probability theory or statistics to optimization, particularly to convex optimization. They are nowadays standard in applications of finance and in insurance involving risk aversion. This paper investigates a wide class of risk measures on Orlicz spaces. The characterizing function describes the decision maker's risk assessment towards increasing losses. We link the risk measures to a crucial formula developed by Rockafellar for the Average Value-at-Risk based on convex duality, which is fundamental in corresponding optimization problems. We characterize the dual and prov…
In this paper we introduce a new coherent cumulative risk measure on $\mathcal{R}_L^p$, the space of càdlàg processes having Laplace transform. This new coherent risk measure turns out to be tractable enough within a class of models where the aggregate claims is driven by a spectrally positive Lévy process. Moreover, we study the problem of capital allocation in an insurance context and we show that the capital allocation problem for this risk measure has a unique solution determined by the Euler allocation method. Some examples are provided.
The equivalence between multiportfolio time consistency of a dynamic multivariate risk measure and a supermartingale property is proven. Furthermore, the dual variables under which this set-valued supermartingale is a martingale are characterized as the worst-case dual variables in the dual representation of the risk measure. Examples of multivariate risk measures satisfying the supermartingale property are given. Crucial for obtaining the results are dual representations of scalarizations of set-valued dynamic risk measures, which are of independent interest in the fast growing literature on …
The inf-convolution of risk measures is directly related to risk sharing and general equilibrium, and it has attracted considerable attention in mathematical finance and insurance problems. However, the theory is restricted to finite sets of risk measures. This study extends the inf-convolution of risk measures in its convex-combination form to a countable (not necessarily finite) set of alternatives. The intuitive meaning of this approach is to represent a generalization of the current finite convex weights to the countable case. Subsequently, we extensively generalize known properties and re…
Foster and Hart proposed an operational measure of riskiness for discrete random variables. We show that their defining equation has no solution for many common continuous distributions including many uniform distributions, e.g. We show how to extend consistently the definition of riskiness to continuous random variables. For many continuous random variables, the risk measure is equal to the worst--case risk measure, i.e. the maximal possible loss incurred by that gamble. We also extend the Foster--Hart risk measure to dynamic environments for general distributions and probability spaces, and …
This paper introduces and fully characterizes the novel class of quasi-logconvex measures of risk, to stand on equal footing with the rich class of quasi-convex measures of risk. Quasi-logconvex risk measures naturally generalize logconvex return risk measures, just like quasi-convex risk measures generalize convex monetary risk measures. We establish their dual representation and analyze their taxonomy in a few (sub)classification results. Furthermore, we characterize quasi-logconvex risk measures in terms of properties of families of acceptance sets and provide their law-invariant representa…
The paper mentioned in the title introduces the entropic value at risk. I give some extra comments and using the general theory make a relation with some commonotone risk measures.
Starting from the requirement that risk measures of financial portfolios should be based on their losses, not their gains, we define the notion of loss-based risk measure and study the properties of this class of risk measures. We characterize loss-based risk measures by a representation theorem and give examples of such risk measures. We then discuss the statistical robustness of estimators of loss-based risk measures: we provide a general criterion for qualitative robustness of risk estimators and compare this criterion with sensitivity analysis of estimators based on influence functions. Fi…
In this paper, we introduce the rich classes of conditional distortion (CoD) risk measures and distortion risk contribution ($Δ$CoD) measures as measures of systemic risk and analyze their properties and representations. The classes include the well-known conditional Value-at-Risk, conditional Expected Shortfall, and risk contribution measures in terms of the VaR and ES as special cases. Sufficient conditions are presented for two random vectors to be ordered by the proposed CoD-risk measures and distortion risk contribution measures. These conditions are expressed using the conventional stoch…
The relationship between set-valued risk measures for processes and vectors on the optional filtration is investigated. The equivalence of risk measures for processes and vectors and the equivalence of their penalty function formulations are provided. In contrast with scalar risk measures, this equivalence requires an augmentation of the set-valued risk measures for processes. We utilize this result to deduce a new dual representation for risk measures for processes in the set-valued framework. Finally, the equivalence of multiportfolio time consistency between set-valued risk measures for pro…
A risk measure that is consistent with the second-order stochastic dominance and additive for sums of independent random variables can be represented as a weighted entropic risk measure (WERM). The expected utility maximization problem with risk controlled by WERM and a related risk minimization problem are investigated in this paper. The latter is same to a problem of maximizing a weighted average of constant-absolute-risk-aversion (CARA) certainty equivalents. The solutions of all the optimization problems are explicitly characterized and an iterative method of the solutions is provided.
We show how risk measures originally defined in a model free framework in terms of acceptance sets and reference assets imply a meaningful underlying probability structure. Hereafter we construct a maximal domain of definition of the risk measure respecting the underlying ambiguity profile. We particularly emphasise liquidity effects and discuss the correspondence between properties of the risk measure and the structure of this domain as well as subdifferentiability properties. Keywords: Model free risk assessment, extension of risk measures, continuity properties of risk measures, subgradient…
This paper introduces a new type of risk measures, namely regime switching entropic risk measures, and study their applicability through simulations. The state of the economy is incorporated into the entropic risk formulation by using a Markov chain. Closed formulae of the risk measure are obtained for futures on crude oil derivatives. The applicability of these new types of risk measures is based on the study of the risk aversion parameter and the convenience yield. The numerical results show a term structure and a mean-reverting behavior of the convenience yield.
We propose a generalization of the classical notion of the $V@R_λ$ that takes into account not only the probability of the losses, but the balance between such probability and the amount of the loss. This is obtained by defining a new class of law invariant risk measures based on an appropriate family of acceptance sets. The $V@R_λ$ and other known law invariant risk measures turn out to be special cases of our proposal. We further prove the dual representation of Risk Measures on $\mathcal{P}(% \mathbb{R}).$
The paper analyzes risk assessment for cash flows in continuous time using the notion of convex risk measures for processes. By combining a decomposition result for optional measures, and a dual representation of a convex risk measure for bounded \cd processes, we show that this framework provides a systematic approach to the both issues of model ambiguity, and uncertainty about the time value of money. We also establish a link between risk measures for processes and BSDEs.
We present a general framework for measuring the liquidity risk. The theoretical framework defines a class of risk measures that incorporate the liquidity risk into the standard risk measures. We consider a one-period risk measurement model. The liquidity risk is defined as the risk that a given security or a portfolio of securities cannot be easily sold or bought by the financial institutions without causing significant changes in prices. The new risk measures present some differences with respect to the standard risk measures. In particular, they are increasing monotonic and convex cash sub-…
In this paper, we study general monetary risk measures (without any convexity or weak convexity). A monetary (respectively, positively homogeneous) risk measure can be characterized as the lower envelope of a family of convex (respectively, coherent) risk measures. The proof does not depend on but easily leads to the classical representation theorems for convex and coherent risk measures. When the law-invariance and the SSD (second-order stochastic dominance)-consistency are involved, it is not the convexity (respectively, coherence) but the comonotonic convexity (respectively, comonotonic coh…
Since the quasiconvex risk measures is a bigger class than the well known convex risk measures, the study of quasiconvex risk measures makes sense especially in the financial markets with volatility. In this paper, we will study the quasiconvex risk measures defined on a special space $L^{p(\cdot)}$ where the variable exponent $p(\cdot)$ is no longer a given real number like the space $L^{p}$, but a random variable, which reflects the possible volatility of the financial markets. The dual representation for this quasiconvex risk measures will also provided.
The aim of this paper is to introduce a risk measure that extends the Gini-type measures of risk and variability, the Extended Gini Shortfall, by taking risk aversion into consideration. Our risk measure is coherent and catches variability, an important concept for risk management. The analysis is made under the Choquet integral representations framework. We expose results for analytic computation under well-known distribution functions. Furthermore, we provide a practical application.
Expanding on techniques of concentration of measure, we develop a quantitative framework for modeling liquidity risk using convex risk measures. The fundamental objects of study are curves of the form $(ρ(λX))_{λ\ge 0}$, where $ρ$ is a convex risk measure and $X$ a random variable, and we call such a curve a \emph{liquidity risk profile}. The shape of a liquidity risk profile is intimately linked with the tail behavior of the underlying $X$ for some notable classes of risk measures, namely shortfall risk measures. We exploit this link to systematically bound liquidity risk profiles from above …
We discuss equivalent axiomatic characterizations of distortion risk measures, and give a novel and concise proof of the characterization of elicitable distortion risk measures. Elicitability has recently been discussed as a desirable criterion for risk measures, motivated by statistical considerations of forecasting. We reveal the mathematical conflict between the requirements of elicitability and comonotonic additivity which intuitively explains why only Value-at-Risk and the mean are elicitable distortion risk measures in a general sense.
We give an axiomatic framework for conditional generalized deviation measures. Under financially reasonable assumptions, we give the correspondence between conditional coherent risk measures and generalized deviation measures. Moreover, we establish the notion of continuous-time risk contribution for conditional coherent risk measures and generalized deviation measures. With the help of the correspondence between these two different types of risk measures, we give a microscopic interpretation of their risk contributions. Particularly, we show that the risk contributions of time-consistent risk…
In this paper monetary risk measures that are positively superhomogeneous, called star-shaped risk measures, are characterized and their properties studied. The measures in this class, which arise when the controversial subadditivity property of coherent risk measures is dispensed with and positive homogeneity is weakened, include all practically used risk measures, in particular, both convex risk measures and Value-at-Risk. From a financial viewpoint, our relaxation of convexity is necessary to quantify the capital requirements for risk exposure in the presence of liquidity risk, competitive …
We characterize when a convex risk measure associated to a law-invariant acceptance set in $L^\infty$ can be extended to $L^p$, $1\leq p<\infty$, preserving finiteness and continuity. This problem is strongly connected to the statistical robustness of the corresponding risk measures. Special attention is paid to concrete examples including risk measures based on expected utility, max-correlation risk measures, and distortion risk measures.
Stochastic optimization problems often involve the expectation in its objective. When risk is incorporated in the problem description as well, then risk measures have to be involved in addition to quantify the acceptable risk, often in the objective. For this purpose it is important to have an adjusted, adapted and efficient evaluation scheme for the risk measure available. In this article different representations of an important class of risk measures, the spectral risk measures, are elaborated. The results allow concise problem formulations, they are particularly adapted for stochastic opti…
Worst-case risk measures refer to the calculation of the largest value for risk measures when only partial information of the underlying distribution is available. For the popular risk measures such as Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR), it is now known that their worst-case counterparts can be evaluated in closed form when only the first two moments are known for the underlying distribution. These results are remarkable since they not only simplify the use of worst-case risk measures but also provide great insight into the connection between the worst-case risk measures …
