Conditional value-at-risk in portfolio optimization: Coherent but fragile

We evaluate conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) as a risk measure in data-driven portfolio optimization. We show that portfolios obtained by solving mean-CVaR and global minimum CVaR problems are unreliable due to estimation errors of CVaR and/or the mean, which are magnified by optimization. This problem is exacerbated when the tail of the return distribution is made heavier. We conclude that CVaR, a coherent risk measure, is fragile in portfolio optimization due to estimation errors.     

Socially responsible merchant operations: Comparison of shutdown-averse CVaR and anticipated regret policies

Commodity and energy production assets are managed as real options on market uncertainties. Social impacts of plant shutdowns incentivize balancing asset value with shutdown probability. We propose new shutdown-averse policies based on the popular dynamic conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). We analytically and numerically compare these policies to known shutdown-averse policies based on anticipated regret (AR). Our findings support the use of AR over CVaR to embed shutdown-aversion and the consideration of hybrid policies that are asymptotically time-consistent but easily interpretable.     

Dynamic conditional value-at-risk model for routing and scheduling of hazardous material transportation networks

This paper illustrates a dynamic model of conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) measure for risk assessment and mitigation of hazardous material transportation in supply chain networks. The well-established market risk measure, CVaR, which is commonly used by financial institutions for portfolio optimizations, is investigated. In contrast to previous works, we consider CVaR as the main objective in the optimization of hazardous material (hazmat) transportation network. In addition to CVaR minimization and route planning of a supply chain network, the time scheduling of hazmat shipments is imposed and considered in the present study. Pertaining to the general dynamic risk model, we analyzed several scenarios involving a variety of hazmats and time schedules with respect to optimal route selection and CVaR minimization. A solution algorithm is then proposed for solving the model, with verifications made using numerical examples and sensitivity analysis.     

Newsvendor solutions via conditional value-at-risk minimization

In this paper, we consider the minimization of the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR), a most preferable risk measure in financial risk management, in the context of the well-known single-period newsvendor problem, which is originally formulated as the maximization of the expected profit or the minimization of the expected cost. We show that downside risk measures including the CVaR are tractable in the problem due to their convexity, and consequently, under mild assumptions on the probability distribution of products’ demand, we provide analytical solutions or linear programming (LP) formulation of the minimization of the CVaR measures defined with two different loss functions. Numerical examples are also exhibited, clarifying the difference among the models analyzed in this paper, and demonstrating the efficiency of the LP solutions.     

On the role of norm constraints in portfolio selection

Several optimization approaches for portfolio selection have been proposed in order to alleviate the estimation error in the optimal portfolio. Among them are the norm-constrained variance minimization and the robust portfolio models. In this paper, we examine the role of the norm constraint in portfolio optimization from several directions. First, it is shown that the norm constraint can be regarded as a robust constraint associated with the return vector. Second, the reformulations of the robust counterparts of the value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) minimizations contain norm terms and are shown to be highly related to the ν-support vector machine (ν-SVM), a powerful statistical learning method. For the norm-constrained VaR and CVaR minimizations, a nonparametric theoretical validation is posed on the basis of the generalization error bound for the ν-SVM. Third, the norm-constrained approaches are applied to the tracking portfolio problem. Computational experiments reveal that the norm-constrained minimization with a parameter tuning strategy improves on the traditional norm-unconstrained models in terms of the out-of-sample tracking error.     

On Coherent Risk Measures Induced by Convex Risk Measures

We study the close relationship between coherent risk measures and convex risk measures. Inspired by the obtained results, we propose a class of coherent risk measures induced by convex risk measures. The robust representation and minimization problem of the induced coherent risk measure are investigated. A new coherent risk measure, the Entropic Conditional Value-at-Risk (ECVaR), is proposed as a special case. We show how to apply the induced coherent risk measure to realistic portfolio selection problems. Finally, by comparing its out-of-sample performance with that of CVaR, entropic risk measure, as well as entropic value-at-risk, we carry out a series of empirical tests to demonstrate the practicality and superiority of the ECVaR measure in optimal portfolio selection.     

An exact solution to a robust portfolio choice problem with multiple risk measures under ambiguous distribution

This paper proposes a unified framework to solve distributionally robust mean-risk optimization problem that simultaneously uses variance, value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) as a triple-risk measure. It provides investors with more flexibility to find portfolios in the sense that it allows investors to optimize a return-risk profile in the presence of estimation error. We derive a closed-form expression for the optimal portfolio strategy to the robust mean-multiple risk portfolio selection model under distribution and mean return ambiguity (RMP). Specially, the robust mean-variance, robust maximum return, robust minimum VaR and robust minimum CVaR efficient portfolios are all special instances of RMP portfolios. We analytically and numerically show that the resulting portfolio weight converges to the minimum variance portfolio when the level of ambiguity aversion is in a high value. Using numerical experiment with simulated data, we demonstrate that our robust portfolios under ambiguity are more stable over time than the non-robust portfolios.     

An exact method for constrained maximization of the conditional value-at-risk of a class of stochastic submodular functions

We consider a class of risk-averse submodular maximization problems (RASM) where the objective is the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) of a random nondecreasing submodular function at a given risk level. We propose valid inequalities and an exact general method for solving RASM under the assumption that we have an efficient oracle that computes the CVaR of the random function. We demonstrate the proposed method on a stochastic set covering problem that admits an efficient CVaR oracle for the random coverage function.     

Bounding Contingent Claim Prices via Hedging Strategy with Coherent Risk Measures

We generalize the notion of arbitrage based on the coherent risk measure, and investigate a mathematical optimization approach for tightening the lower and upper bounds of the price of contingent claims in incomplete markets. Due to the dual representation of coherent risk measures, the lower and upper bounds of price are located by solving a pair of semi-infinite linear optimization problems, which further reduce to linear optimization when conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) is used as risk measure. We also show that the hedging portfolio problem is viewed as a robust optimization problem. Tuning the parameter of the risk measure, we demonstrate by numerical examples that the two bounds approach to each other and converge to a price that is fair in the sense that seller and buyer face the same amount of risk.     

A closed-form solution of the Black–Litterman model with conditional value at risk

We consider a portfolio optimization problem of the Black–Litterman type, in which we use the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) as the risk measure and we use the multi-variate elliptical distributions, instead of the multi-variate normal distribution, to model the financial asset returns. We propose an approximation algorithm and establish the convergence results. Based on the approximation algorithm, we derive a closed-form solution of the portfolio optimization problems of the Black–Litterman type with CVaR.     

Dynamic sampling algorithms for multi-stage stochastic programs with risk aversion

We consider the incorporation of a time-consistent coherent risk measure into a multi-stage stochastic programming model, so that the model can be solved using a SDDP-type algorithm. We describe the implementation of this algorithm, and study the solutions it gives for an application of hydro-thermal scheduling in the New Zealand electricity system. The performance of policies using this risk measure at different levels of risk aversion is compared with the risk-neutral policy.     

一种多目标条件风险值数学模型

研究了一种多目标条件风险值(CVaR)数学模型理论.先定义了一种多目标损失函数下的α-VaR和α-CVaR值,给出了多目标CVaR最优化模型.然后证明了多目标意义下的α-VaR和α-CVaR值的等价定理,并且给出了对于多目标损失函数的条件风险值的一致性度量性质.最后,给出了多目标CVaR模型的近似求解模型.     

A robust approach based on conditional value-at-risk measure to statistical learning problems

In statistical learning problems, measurement errors in the observed data degrade the reliability of estimation. There exist several approaches to handle those uncertainties in observations. In this paper, we propose to use the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) measure in order to depress influence of measurement errors, and investigate the relation between the resulting CVaR minimization problems and some existing approaches in the same framework. For the CVaR minimization problems which include the computation of integration, we apply Monte Carlo sampling method and obtain their approximate solutions. The approximation error bound and convergence property of the solution are proved by Vapnik and Chervonenkis theory. Numerical experiments show that the CVaR minimization problem can achieve fairly good estimation results, compared with several support vector machines, in the presence of measurement errors.     

CVaR鲁棒均值-CVaR投资组合模型与求解

传统的均值-风险(包括方差、VaR、CVaR等)组合选择模型在计算最优投资组合时,常假定均值是已知的常值,但在实际资产配置中,收益的均值估计会有偏差,即存在着估计风险.在利用CVaR测度估计风险的基础上,研究了CVaR鲁棒均值-CVaR投资组合选择模型,给出了另外两种不同的求解方法,即对偶法和光滑优化方法,并探讨了它们的相关性质及特征,数值实验表明在求解大样本或者大规模投资组合选择问题上,对偶法和光滑优化方法在计算上是可行且有效的.     

Asymptotic representations for importance-sampling estimators of value-at-risk and conditional value-at-risk

Value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) are important risk measures. They are often estimated by using importance-sampling (IS) techniques. In this paper, we derive the asymptotic representations for IS estimators of VaR and CVaR. Based on these representations, we are able to prove the consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimators and to provide simple conditions under which the IS estimators have smaller asymptotic variances than the ordinary Monte Carlo estimators.     

Portfolio optimization with a copula-based extension of conditional value-at-risk

The paper presents a copula-based extension of Conditional Value-at-Risk and its application to portfolio optimization. Copula-based conditional value-at-risk (CCVaR) is a scalar risk measure for multivariate risks modeled by multivariate random variables. It is assumed that the univariate risk components are perfect substitutes, i.e., they are expressed in the same units. CCVaR is a quantile risk measure that allows one to emphasize the consequences of more pessimistic scenarios. By changing the level of a quantile, the measure permits to parameterize prudent attitudes toward risk ranging from the extreme risk aversion to the risk neutrality. In terms of definition, CCVaR is slightly different from popular and well-researched CVaR. Nevertheless, this small difference allows one to efficiently solve CCVaR portfolio optimization problems based on the full information carried by a multivariate random variable by employing column generation algorithm.     

Handling CVaR objectives and constraints in two-stage stochastic models

Based on the polyhedral representation of Künzi-Bay and Mayer [Künzi-Bay, A., Mayer, J., 2006. Computational aspects of minimizing conditional value-at-risk. Computational Management Science 3, 3–27] , we propose decomposition frameworks for handling CVaR objectives and constraints in two-stage stochastic models.     

Penalized sample average approximation methods for stochastic programs in economic and secure dispatch of a power system

In this paper, we develop a stochastic programming model for economic dispatch of a power system with operational reliability and risk control constraints. By defining a severity-index function, we propose to use conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) for measuring the reliability and risk control of the system. The economic dispatch is subsequently formulated as a stochastic program with CVaR constraint. To solve the stochastic optimization model, we propose a penalized sample average approximation (SAA) scheme which incorporates specific features of smoothing technique and level function method. Under some moderate conditions, we demonstrate that with probability approaching to 1 at an exponential rate with the increase of sample size, the optimal solution of the smoothing SAA problem converges to its true counterpart. Numerical tests have been carried out for a standard IEEE-30 DC power system.     

Computational aspects of minimizing conditional value-at-risk

We consider optimization problems for minimizing conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) from a computational point of view, with an emphasis on financial applications. As a general solution approach, we suggest to reformulate these CVaR optimization problems as two-stage recourse problems of stochastic programming. Specializing the L-shaped method leads to a new algorithm for minimizing conditional value-at-risk. We implemented the algorithm as the solver CVaRMin. For illustrating the performance of this algorithm, we present some comparative computational results with two kinds of test problems. Firstly, we consider portfolio optimization problems with 5 random variables. Such problems involving conditional value at risk play an important role in financial risk management. Therefore, besides testing the performance of the proposed algorithm, we also present computational results of interest in finance. Secondly, with the explicit aim of testing algorithm performance, we also present comparative computational results with randomly generated test problems involving 50 random variables. In all our tests, the experimental solver, based on the new approach, outperformed by at least one order of magnitude all general-purpose solvers, with an accuracy of solution being in the same range as that with the LP solvers. János Mayer: Financial support by the national center of competence in research "Financial Valuation and Risk Management" is gratefully acknowledged. The national centers in research are managed by the Swiss National Science Foundation on behalf of the federal authorities.     

基于CVaR准则的折扣回购策略双层风险决策

首先,引入条件风险值(CVaR)准则,作为风险厌恶型的供应商和零售商的决策准则,建立了基于条件风险值(CVaR)准则的折扣回购策略双层风险决策模型.然后,导出了零售商在批发价格下的最优订购公式,证明了订购量随着折扣增大而增大,随着批发价格增大而减小,数值实验表明供应商可以通过折扣和批发价来分担零售商的风险损失,来使供应链达到协调.