We study the optimal stopping of an American call option in a random time-horizon under exponential spectrally negative Lévy models. The random time-horizon is modeled as the so-called Omega default clock in insurance, which is the first time when the occupation time of the underlying Lévy process below a level y, exceeds an independent exponential random variable with mean 1/q > 0. We show that the shape of the value function varies qualitatively with different values of q and y. In particular, we show that for certain values of q and y, some quantitatively different but traditional upcrossing strategies are still optimal, while for other values we may have two disconnected continuation regions, resulting in the optimality of two-sided exit strategies. By deriving the joint distribution of the discounting factor and the underlying process under a random discount rate, we give a complete characterization of all optimal exercising thresholds. Finally, we present an example with a compound Poisson process plus a drifted Brownian motion.MSC 2010 subject classifications: Primary 60G40, 60G51; secondary 60G17.

Original citation:Gapeev, Pavel V. and Rodosthenous, Neofytos (2016) To appear in Stochastic Processes and their ApplicationsWe study perpetual American option pricing problems in an extension of the BlackMerton-Scholes model in which the dividend and volatility rates of the underlying risky asset depend on the running values of its maximum and maximum drawdown. The optimal exercise times are shown to be the first times at which the underlying asset hits certain boundaries depending on the running values of the associated maximum and maximum drawdown processes. We obtain closed-form solutions to the equivalent free-boundary problems for the value functions with smooth fit at the optimal stopping boundaries and normal reflection at the edges of the state space of the resulting three-dimensional Markov process. The optimal exercise boundaries for the perpetual American options on the maximum of the market depth with fixed and floating strikes are determined as the minimal solutions of certain first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations.

We consider a new family of derivatives whose payoffs become strictly positive when the price of their underlying asset falls relative to its historical maximum. We derive the solution to the discretionary stopping problems arising in the context of pricing their perpetual American versions by means of an explicit construction of their value functions. In particular, we fully characterise the free-boundary functions that provide the optimal stopping times of these genuinely two-dimensional problems as the unique solutions to highly nonlinear first order ODEs that have the characteristics of a separatrix. The asymptotic growth of these free-boundary functions can take qualitatively different forms depending on parameter values, which is an interesting new feature.

We study optimal stopping problems related to the pricing of perpetual American options in an extension of the Black-Merton-Scholes model in which the dividend and volatility rates of the underlying risky asset depend on the running values of its maximum and maximum drawdown. The optimal stopping times of exercise are shown to be the first times at which the price of the underlying asset exits some regions restricted by certain boundaries depending on the running values of the associated maximum and maximum drawdown processes. We obtain closed-form solutions to the equivalent free-boundary problems for the value functions with smooth fit at the optimal stopping boundaries and normal reflection at the edges of the state space of the resulting three-dimensional Markov process. We derive first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the optimal exercise boundaries of the perpetual American standard options.

This document is the author's final accepted version of the journal article. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.On the drawdowns and drawups in diffusion-type models with running maxima and minima Pavel V. Gapeev * Neofytos Rodosthenous † To appear in Journal of Mathematical Analysis and ApplicationsWe obtain closed-form expressions for the values of joint Laplace transforms of the running maximum and minimum of a diffusion-type process stopped at the first time at which the associated drawdown and drawup processes hit constant levels. It is assumed that the coefficients of the diffusion-type process are regular functions of the running values of the process itself, its maximum and minimum, as well as its maximum drawdown and maximum drawup processes. The proof is based on the solution to the equivalent boundary-value problems and application of the normal-reflection conditions for the value functions at the edges of the state space of the resulting five-dimensional Markov process. We show that the joint Laplace transforms represent linear combinations of solutions to the systems of first-order partial differential equations arising from the application of the normal-reflection conditions.