IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/1411.2395.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Irreversible Investment under L\'evy Uncertainty: an Equation for the Optimal Boundary

Author

Listed:
  • Giorgio Ferrari
  • Paavo Salminen

Abstract

We derive a new equation for the optimal investment boundary of a general irreversible investment problem under exponential L\'evy uncertainty. The problem is set as an infinite time-horizon, two-dimensional degenerate singular stochastic control problem. In line with the results recently obtained in a diffusive setting, we show that the optimal boundary is intimately linked to the unique optional solution of an appropriate Bank-El Karoui representation problem. Such a relation and the Wiener Hopf factorization allow us to derive an integral equation for the optimal investment boundary. In case the underlying L\'evy process hits any real point with positive probability we show that the integral equation for the investment boundary is uniquely satisfied by the unique solution of another equation which is easier to handle. As a remarkable by-product we prove the continuity of the optimal investment boundary. The paper is concluded with explicit results for profit functions of (i) Cobb-Douglas type and (ii) CES type. In the first case the function is separable and in the second case non-separable.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio Ferrari & Paavo Salminen, 2014. "Irreversible Investment under L\'evy Uncertainty: an Equation for the Optimal Boundary," Papers 1411.2395, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1411.2395
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1411.2395
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frank Riedel & Xia Su, 2011. "On irreversible investment," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 607-633, December.
    2. Jan-Henrik Steg, 2012. "Irreversible investment in oligopoly," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 207-224, April.
    3. Ioannis Karatzas & Fridrik M. Baldursson, 1996. "Irreversible investment and industry equilibrium (*)," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 69-89.
    4. Samuel Bentolila & Giuseppe Bertola, 1990. "Firing Costs and Labour Demand: How Bad is Eurosclerosis?," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(3), pages 381-402.
    5. Giorgio Ferrari, 2012. "On an integral equation for the free-boundary of stochastic, irreversible investment problems," Papers 1211.0412, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2015.
    6. Maria B. Chiarolla & Giorgio Ferrari, 2011. "Identifying the Free Boundary of a Stochastic, Irreversible Investment Problem via the Bank-El Karoui Representation Theorem," Papers 1108.4886, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2013.
    7. Avinash K. Dixit & Robert S. Pindyck, 1994. "Investment under Uncertainty," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 5474.
    8. Pindyck, Robert S, 1988. "Irreversible Investment, Capacity Choice, and the Value of the Firm," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(5), pages 969-985, December.
    9. Robert McDonald & Daniel Siegel, 1986. "The Value of Waiting to Invest," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 101(4), pages 707-727.
    10. L. Alili & A. E. Kyprianou, 2005. "Some remarks on first passage of Levy processes, the American put and pasting principles," Papers math/0508487, arXiv.org.
    11. Svetlana Boyarchenko, 2004. "Irreversible Decisions and Record-Setting News Principles," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 557-568, June.
    12. Anders ûksendal, 2000. "Irreversible investment problems," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 223-250.
    13. Ernesto Mordecki, 2002. "Optimal stopping and perpetual options for Lévy processes," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 6(4), pages 473-493.
    14. Christensen, Sören & Salminen, Paavo & Ta, Bao Quoc, 2013. "Optimal stopping of strong Markov processes," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 123(3), pages 1138-1159.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ferrari, Giorgio & Salminen, Paavo, 2016. "Irreversible Investment under Lévy Uncertainty: an Equation for the Optimal Boundary," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 530, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    2. de Angelis, Tiziano & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2014. "A Stochastic Reversible Investment Problem on a Finite-Time Horizon: Free Boundary Analysis," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 477, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    3. De Angelis, Tiziano & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2014. "A stochastic partially reversible investment problem on a finite time-horizon: Free-boundary analysis," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 124(12), pages 4080-4119.
    4. Koch, Torben & Vargiolu, Tiziano, 2019. "Optimal Installation of Solar Panels with Price Impact: a Solvable Singular Stochastic Control Problem," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 627, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    5. Giorgio Ferrari & Hanwu Li & Frank Riedel, 2020. "A Knightian Irreversible Investment Problem," Papers 2003.14359, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2020.
    6. Giorgio Ferrari, 2012. "On an integral equation for the free-boundary of stochastic, irreversible investment problems," Papers 1211.0412, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2015.
    7. Frank Riedel & Xia Su, 2011. "On irreversible investment," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 607-633, December.
    8. Luis H. R. Alvarez & Erkki Koskela, 2002. "Irreversible Investment under Interest Rate Variability: New Results," CESifo Working Paper Series 640, CESifo.
    9. Tiziano De Angelis & Salvatore Federico & Giorgio Ferrari, 2014. "Optimal Boundary Surface for Irreversible Investment with Stochastic Costs," Papers 1406.4297, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2017.
    10. Alain Bensoussan & Benoît Chevalier-Roignant, 2019. "Sequential Capacity Expansion Options," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 67(1), pages 33-57, January.
    11. Aïd, René & Basei, Matteo & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2023. "A Stationary Mean-Field Equilibrium Model of Irreversible Investment in a Two-Regime Economy," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 679, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    12. Ren'e Aid & Matteo Basei & Giorgio Ferrari, 2023. "A Stationary Mean-Field Equilibrium Model of Irreversible Investment in a Two-Regime Economy," Papers 2305.00541, arXiv.org.
    13. Steg, Jan-Henrik, 2013. "Strategic Capital Accumulation with Singular Control," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79948, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. Luis H. R. Alvarez & Erkki Koskela, 2006. "Irreversible Investment under Interest Rate Variability: Some Generalizations," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(2), pages 623-644, March.
    15. Tiziano De Angelis & Salvatore Federico & Giorgio Ferrari, 2017. "Optimal Boundary Surface for Irreversible Investment with Stochastic Costs," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 42(4), pages 1135-1161, November.
    16. Hervé Roche, 2022. "The implications of tax loss carryforwards on investment policy," Mathematics and Financial Economics, Springer, volume 16, number 6, December.
    17. de Angelis, Tiziano & Federico, Salvatore & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2016. "On the Optimal Boundary of a Three-Dimensional Singular Stochastic Control Problem Arising in Irreversible Investment," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 509, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    18. Tsekrekos, Andrianos E., 2010. "The effect of mean reversion on entry and exit decisions under uncertainty," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 725-742, April.
    19. Belke, Ansgar & Göcke, Matthias, 2019. "Interest rate hysteresis in macroeconomic investment under uncertainty," Ruhr Economic Papers 801, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    20. Ferrari, Giorgio & Riedel, Frank & Steg, Jan-Henrik, 2016. "Continuous-Time Public Good Contribution under Uncertainty," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 485, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1411.2395. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.