A Monte Carlo method for exponential hedging of contingent claims

Utility based methods provide a very general theoretically consistent approach to pricing and hedging of securities in incomplete financial markets. Solving problems in the utility based framework typically involves dynamic programming, which in practise can be difficult to implement. This article presents a Monte Carlo approach to optimal portfolio problems for which the dynamic programming is based on the exponential utility function U(x) = − exp(−x). The algorithm, inspired by the Longstaff-Schwartz approach to pricing American options by Monte Carlo simulation, involves learning the optimal portfolio selection strategy on simulated Monte Carlo data. It shares with the LS framework intuitivity, simplicity and flexibility. ∗Research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems, Canada