This book is an introduction to stochastic analysis and quantitative finance; it includes both theoretical and computational methods. Topics covered are stochastic calculus, option pricing, optimal portfolio investment, and interest rate models. Also included are simulations of stochastic phenomena, numerical solutions of the Black–Scholes–Merton equation, Monte Carlo methods, and time series. Basic measure theory is used as a tool to describe probabilistic phenomena. The level of familiarity with computer programming is kept to a minimum. To make the book accessible to a wider audience, some background mathematical facts are included in the first part of the book and also in the appendices. This work attempts to bridge the gap between mathematics and finance by using diagrams, graphs and simulations in addition to rigorous theoretical exposition. Simulations are not only used as the computational method in quantitative finance, but they can also facilitate an intuitive and deeper understanding of theoretical concepts. Stochastic Analysis for Finance with Simulations is designed for readers who want to have a deeper understanding of the delicate theory of quantitative finance by doing computer simulations in addition to theoretical study. It will particularly appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and business, but not excluding practitioners in finance industry.

Incorporates the many tools needed for modeling and pricing infinance and insurance Introductory Stochastic Analysis for Finance and Insuranceintroduces readers to the topics needed to master and use basicstochastic analysis techniques for mathematical finance. The authorpresents the theories of stochastic processes and stochasticcalculus and provides the necessary tools for modeling and pricingin finance and insurance. Practical in focus, the book's emphasisis on application, intuition, and computation, rather thantheory. Consequently, the text is of interest to graduate students,researchers, and practitioners interested in these areas. While thetext is self-contained, an introductory course in probabilitytheory is beneficial to prospective readers. This book evolved from the author's experience as an instructor andhas been thoroughly classroom-tested. Following an introduction,the author sets forth the fundamental information and tools neededby researchers and practitioners working in the financial andinsurance industries: * Overview of Probability Theory * Discrete-Time stochastic processes * Continuous-time stochastic processes * Stochastic calculus: basic topics The final two chapters, Stochastic Calculus: Advanced Topics andApplications in Insurance, are devoted to more advanced topics.Readers learn the Feynman-Kac formula, the Girsanov's theorem, andcomplex barrier hitting times distributions. Finally, readersdiscover how stochastic analysis and principles are applied inpractice through two insurance examples: valuation of equity-linkedannuities under a stochastic interest rate environment andcalculation of reserves for universal life insurance. Throughout the text, figures and tables are used to help simplifycomplex theory and pro-cesses. An extensive bibliography opens upadditional avenues of research to specialized topics. Ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, thistext is recommended for one-semester courses in stochastic financeand calculus. It is also recommended as a study guide forprofessionals taking Causality Actuarial Society (CAS) and Societyof Actuaries (SOA) actuarial examinations.

Stochastic Simulation and Applications in Finance with MATLAB Programs explains the fundamentals of Monte Carlo simulation techniques, their use in the numerical resolution of stochastic differential equations and their current applications in finance. Building on an integrated approach, it provides a pedagogical treatment of the need-to-know materials in risk management and financial engineering. The book takes readers through the basic concepts, covering the most recent research and problems in the area, including: the quadratic re-sampling technique, the Least Squared Method, the dynamic programming and Stratified State Aggregation technique to price American options, the extreme value simulation technique to price exotic options and the retrieval of volatility method to estimate Greeks. The authors also present modern term structure of interest rate models and pricing swaptions with the BGM market model, and give a full explanation of corporate securities valuation and credit risk based on the structural approach of Merton. Case studies on financial guarantees illustrate how to implement the simulation techniques in pricing and hedging. NOTE TO READER: The CD has been converted to URL. Go to the following website www.wiley.com/go/huyhnstochastic which provides MATLAB programs for the practical examples and case studies, which will give the reader confidence in using and adapting specific ways to solve problems involving stochastic processes in finance.

From the reviews: "Paul Glasserman has written an astonishingly good book that bridges financial engineering and the Monte Carlo method. The book will appeal to graduate students, researchers, and most of all, practicing financial engineers [...] So often, financial engineering texts are very theoretical. This book is not." --Glyn Holton, Contingency Analysis

In various scientific and industrial fields, stochastic simulations are taking on a new importance. This is due to the increasing power of computers and practitioners’ aim to simulate more and more complex systems, and thus use random parameters as well as random noises to model the parametric uncertainties and the lack of knowledge on the physics of these systems. The error analysis of these computations is a highly complex mathematical undertaking. Approaching these issues, the authors present stochastic numerical methods and prove accurate convergence rate estimates in terms of their numerical parameters (number of simulations, time discretization steps). As a result, the book is a self-contained and rigorous study of the numerical methods within a theoretical framework. After briefly reviewing the basics, the authors first introduce fundamental notions in stochastic calculus and continuous-time martingale theory, then develop the analysis of pure-jump Markov processes, Poisson processes, and stochastic differential equations. In particular, they review the essential properties of Itô integrals and prove fundamental results on the probabilistic analysis of parabolic partial differential equations. These results in turn provide the basis for developing stochastic numerical methods, both from an algorithmic and theoretical point of view. The book combines advanced mathematical tools, theoretical analysis of stochastic numerical methods, and practical issues at a high level, so as to provide optimal results on the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations of stochastic processes. It is intended for master and Ph.D. students in the field of stochastic processes and their numerical applications, as well as for physicists, biologists, economists and other professionals working with stochastic simulations, who will benefit from the ability to reliably estimate and control the accuracy of their simulations.

This volume is a collection of solicited and refereed articles from distinguished researchers across the field of stochastic analysis and its application to finance. The articles represent new directions and newest developments in this exciting and fast growing area. The covered topics range from Markov processes, backward stochastic differential equations, stochastic partial differential equations, stochastic control, potential theory, functional inequalities, optimal stopping, portfolio selection, to risk measure and risk theory. It will be a very useful book for young researchers who want to learn about the research directions in the area, as well as experienced researchers who want to know about the latest developments in the area of stochastic analysis and mathematical finance. Sample Chapter(s). Editorial Foreword (58 KB). Chapter 1: Non-Linear Evolution Equations Driven by Rough Paths (399 KB). Contents: Non-Linear Evolution Equations Driven by Rough Paths (Thomas Cass, Zhongmin Qian and Jan Tudor); Optimal Stopping Times with Different Information Levels and with Time Uncertainty (Arijit Chakrabarty and Xin Guo); Finite Horizon Optimal Investment and Consumption with CARA Utility and Proportional Transaction Costs (Yingshan Chen, Min Dai and Kun Zhao); MUniform Integrability of Exponential Martingales and Spectral Bounds of Non-Local Feynman-Kac Semigroups (Zhen-Qing Chen); Continuous-Time Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection with Finite Transactions (Xiangyu Cui, Jianjun Gao and Duan Li); Quantifying Model Uncertainties in the Space of Probability Measures (J Duan, T Gao and G He); A PDE Approach to Multivariate Risk Theory (Robert J Elliott, Tak Kuen Siu and Hailiang Yang); Stochastic Analysis on Loop Groups (Shizan Fang); Existence and Stability of Measure Solutions for BSDE with Generators of Quadratic Growth (Alexander Fromm, Peter Imkeller and Jianing Zhang); Convex Capital Requirements for Large Portfolios (Hans FAllmer and Thomas Knispel); The Mixed Equilibrium of Insider Trading in the Market with Rational Expected Price (Fuzhou Gong and Hong Liu); Some Results on Backward Stochastic Differential Equations Driven by Fractional Brownian Motions (Yaozhong Hu, Daniel Ocone and Jian Song); Potential Theory of Subordinate Brownian Motions Revisited (Panki Kim, Renming Song and Zoran Vondraiek); Research on Social Causes of the Financial Crisis (Steven Kou); Wick Formulas and Inequalities for the Quaternion Gaussian and -Permanental Variables (Wenbo V Li and Ang Wei); Further Study on Web Markov Skeleton Processes (Yuting Liu, Zhi-Ming Ma and Chuan Zhou); MLE of Parameters in the Drifted Brownian Motion and Its Error (Lemee Nakamura and Weian Zheng); Optimal Partial Information Control of SPDEs with Delay and Time-Advanced Backward SPDEs (Bernt yksendal, Agn s Sulem and Tusheng Zhang); Simulation of Diversified Portfolios in Continuous Financial Markets (Eckhard Platen and Renata Rendek); Coupling and Applications (Feng-Yu Wang); SDEs and a Generalised Burgers Equation (Jiang-Lun Wu and Wei Yang); Mean-Variance Hedging in the Discontinuous Case (Jianming Xia). Readership: Graduates and researchers in stochatic analysis and mathematical finance.

Stochastic analysis has a variety of applications to biological systems as well as physical and engineering problems, and its applications to finance and insurance have bloomed exponentially in recent times. The goal of this book is to present a broad overview of the range of applications of stochastic analysis and some of its recent theoretical developments. This includes numerical simulation, error analysis, parameter estimation, as well as control and robustness properties for stochastic equations. The book also covers the areas of backward stochastic differential equations via the (non-linear) G-Brownian motion and the case of jump processes. Concerning the applications to finance, many of the articles deal with the valuation and hedging of credit risk in various forms, and include recent results on markets with transaction costs.