IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/1809.09268.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Robustness in the Optimization of Risk Measures

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Embrechts
  • Alexander Schied
  • Ruodu Wang

Abstract

We study issues of robustness in the context of Quantitative Risk Management and Optimization. We develop a general methodology for determining whether a given risk measurement related optimization problem is robust, which we call "robustness against optimization". The new notion is studied for various classes of risk measures and expected utility and loss functions. Motivated by practical issues from financial regulation, special attention is given to the two most widely used risk measures in the industry, Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES). We establish that for a class of general optimization problems, VaR leads to non-robust optimizers whereas convex risk measures generally lead to robust ones. Our results offer extra insight on the ongoing discussion about the comparative advantages of VaR and ES in banking and insurance regulation. Our notion of robustness is conceptually different from the field of robust optimization, to which some interesting links are derived.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Embrechts & Alexander Schied & Ruodu Wang, 2018. "Robustness in the Optimization of Risk Measures," Papers 1809.09268, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1809.09268
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1809.09268
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Acharya, Viral V. & Cooley, Thomas & Richardson, Matthew & Walter, Ingo, 2010. "Manufacturing Tail Risk: A Perspective on the Financial Crisis of 2007–2009," Foundations and Trends(R) in Finance, now publishers, vol. 4(4), pages 247-325, April.
    2. Alexander J. McNeil & Rüdiger Frey & Paul Embrechts, 2015. "Quantitative Risk Management: Concepts, Techniques and Tools Revised edition," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 2, number 10496.
    3. Steven Kou & Xianhua Peng, 2016. "On the Measurement of Economic Tail Risk," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 64(5), pages 1056-1072, October.
    4. Paul Embrechts & Giovanni Puccetti & Ludger Rüschendorf & Ruodu Wang & Antonela Beleraj, 2014. "An Academic Response to Basel 3.5," Risks, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-24, February.
    5. Rama Cont & Romain Deguest & Giacomo Scandolo, 2010. "Robustness and sensitivity analysis of risk measurement procedures," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(6), pages 593-606.
    6. Paul Embrechts & Bin Wang & Ruodu Wang, 2015. "Aggregation-robustness and model uncertainty of regulatory risk measures," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 763-790, October.
    7. Krätschmer, Volker & Schied, Alexander & Zähle, Henryk, 2017. "Domains of weak continuity of statistical functionals with a view toward robust statistics," Journal of Multivariate Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 1-19.
    8. Philippe Artzner & Freddy Delbaen & Jean‐Marc Eber & David Heath, 1999. "Coherent Measures of Risk," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(3), pages 203-228, July.
    9. Paul Embrechts & Haiyan Liu & Tiantian Mao & Ruodu Wang, 2017. "Quantile-Based Risk Sharing with Heterogeneous Beliefs," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 17-65, Swiss Finance Institute, revised Jan 2018.
    10. Karthik Natarajan & Dessislava Pachamanova & Melvyn Sim, 2008. "Incorporating Asymmetric Distributional Information in Robust Value-at-Risk Optimization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(3), pages 573-585, March.
    11. Wolfram Wiesemann & Daniel Kuhn & Melvyn Sim, 2014. "Distributionally Robust Convex Optimization," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 62(6), pages 1358-1376, December.
    12. Shushang Zhu & Masao Fukushima, 2009. "Worst-Case Conditional Value-at-Risk with Application to Robust Portfolio Management," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 57(5), pages 1155-1168, October.
    13. Steven Kou & Xianhua Peng & Chris C. Heyde, 2013. "External Risk Measures and Basel Accords," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 38(3), pages 393-417, August.
    14. Jun Sekine, 2004. "Dynamic Minimization of Worst Conditional Expectation of Shortfall," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(4), pages 605-618, October.
    15. Rama Cont & Romain Deguest & Giacomo Scandolo, 2010. "Robustness and sensitivity analysis of risk measurement procedures," Post-Print hal-00413729, HAL.
    16. Susanne Emmer & Marie Kratz & Dirk Tasche, 2013. "What is the best risk measure in practice? A comparison of standard measures," Papers 1312.1645, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2015.
    17. Quaranta, Anna Grazia & Zaffaroni, Alberto, 2008. "Robust optimization of conditional value at risk and portfolio selection," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 2046-2056, October.
    18. Joel Goh & Melvyn Sim, 2010. "Distributionally Robust Optimization and Its Tractable Approximations," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 58(4-part-1), pages 902-917, August.
    19. Georg Ch Pflug & Werner Römisch, 2007. "Modeling, Measuring and Managing Risk," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number 6478.
    20. Michel Baes & Pablo Koch-Medina & Cosimo Munari, 2017. "Existence, uniqueness and stability of optimal portfolios of eligible assets," Papers 1702.01936, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2017.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xia Han & Bin Wang & Ruodu Wang & Qinyu Wu, 2021. "Risk Concentration and the Mean-Expected Shortfall Criterion," Papers 2108.05066, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2022.
    2. Henryk Zähle, 2022. "A concept of copula robustness and its applications in quantitative risk management," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 825-875, October.
    3. Tolulope Fadina & Yang Liu & Ruodu Wang, 2021. "A Framework for Measures of Risk under Uncertainty," Papers 2110.10792, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2023.
    4. Martin Herdegen & Nazem Khan, 2022. "$\rho$-arbitrage and $\rho$-consistent pricing for star-shaped risk measures," Papers 2202.07610, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.

    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. Haiyan Liu & Bin Wang & Ruodu Wang & Sheng Chao Zhuang, 2023. "Distorted optimal transport," Papers 2308.11238, arXiv.org.
    2. Fissler Tobias & Ziegel Johanna F., 2021. "On the elicitability of range value at risk," Statistics & Risk Modeling, De Gruyter, vol. 38(1-2), pages 25-46, January.
    3. Ruodu Wang & Ričardas Zitikis, 2021. "An Axiomatic Foundation for the Expected Shortfall," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(3), pages 1413-1429, March.
    4. Ruodu Wang & Johanna F. Ziegel, 2021. "Scenario-based risk evaluation," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 725-756, October.
    5. Bellini, Fabio & Fadina, Tolulope & Wang, Ruodu & Wei, Yunran, 2022. "Parametric measures of variability induced by risk measures," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 270-284.
    6. Farkas, Walter & Fringuellotti, Fulvia & Tunaru, Radu, 2020. "A cost-benefit analysis of capital requirements adjusted for model risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    7. Jose Blanchet & Henry Lam & Yang Liu & Ruodu Wang, 2020. "Convolution Bounds on Quantile Aggregation," Papers 2007.09320, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2024.
    8. Fabio Bellini & Tolulope Fadina & Ruodu Wang & Yunran Wei, 2020. "Parametric measures of variability induced by risk measures," Papers 2012.05219, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2022.
    9. Kellner, Ralf & Rösch, Daniel, 2016. "Quantifying market risk with Value-at-Risk or Expected Shortfall? – Consequences for capital requirements and model risk," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 45-63.
    10. Hirbod Assa & Liyuan Lin & Ruodu Wang, 2022. "Calibrating distribution models from PELVE," Papers 2204.08882, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2023.
    11. Ruodu Wang & Yunran Wei, 2020. "Risk functionals with convex level sets," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1337-1367, October.
    12. Xia Han & Liyuan Lin & Ruodu Wang, 2022. "Diversification quotients: Quantifying diversification via risk measures," Papers 2206.13679, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2024.
    13. Liu, Peng & Wang, Ruodu & Wei, Linxiao, 2020. "Is the inf-convolution of law-invariant preferences law-invariant?," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 144-154.
    14. Xia Han & Liyuan Lin & Ruodu Wang, 2023. "Diversification quotients based on VaR and ES," Papers 2301.03517, arXiv.org, revised May 2023.
    15. Tobias Fissler & Jana Hlavinová & Birgit Rudloff, 2021. "Elicitability and identifiability of set-valued measures of systemic risk," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 133-165, January.
    16. Marcelo Brutti Righi & Fernanda Maria Muller & Marlon Ruoso Moresco, 2017. "On a robust risk measurement approach for capital determination errors minimization," Papers 1707.09829, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2020.
    17. Tobias Fissler & Johanna F. Ziegel, 2019. "Evaluating Range Value at Risk Forecasts," Papers 1902.04489, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2020.
    18. Müller, Fernanda Maria & Santos, Samuel Solgon & Gössling, Thalles Weber & Righi, Marcelo Brutti, 2022. "Comparison of risk forecasts for cryptocurrencies: A focus on Range Value at Risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    19. George Tzagkarakis & Frantz Maurer, 2020. "An energy-based measure for long-run horizon risk quantification," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 289(2), pages 363-390, June.
    20. Silvana Pesenti & Qiuqi Wang & Ruodu Wang, 2020. "Optimizing distortion riskmetrics with distributional uncertainty," Papers 2011.04889, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2022.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:1809.09268. 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.