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How to Invest Optimally in Corporate Bonds: A Reduced-Form Approach

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Author Info
Holger Kraft (Department of Mathematics, University of Kaiserslautern)
Mogens Steffensen (Fraunhofer ITWM, Institute for Industrial Mathematics, Department of Finance, Kaiserslautern)
Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the impact of default risk on the portfolio decision of an investor wishing to invest in corporate bonds. Default risk is modeled via a reduced form approach and we allow for random recovery as well as joint default events. Depending on the structure of the model, we are able to derive almost explicit results for the optimal portfolio strategies. It is demonstrated how these strategies change if common default factors can trigger defaults of more than one bond or different recovery assumptions are imposed. In particular, we analyze the effect of beta distributed loss rates.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Finance Research Unit in its series FRU Working Papers with number 2005/07.

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Length: 24 pages
Date of creation: May 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:kud:kuiefr:200507

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Related research
Keywords: portfolio optimization; stochastic interest rates; default risk; recovery risk; beta distribution;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Vasicek, Oldrich, 1977. "An equilibrium characterization of the term structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 177-188, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Gurdip Bakshi & Dilip Madan & Frank Zhang, 2001. "Understanding the role of recovery in default risk models: empirical comparisons and implied recovery rates," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2001-37, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  3. Duffie, Darrell & Lando, David, 2001. "Term Structures of Credit Spreads with Incomplete Accounting Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(3), pages 633-64, May.
  4. S?rensen, Carsten, 1999. "Dynamic Asset Allocation and Fixed Income Management," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(04), pages 513-531, December. [Downloadable!]
  5. Merton, Robert C., 1973. "On the pricing of corporate debt: the risk structure of interest rates," Working papers 684-73., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Y.M. Kabanov & D.O. Kramkov, 1998. "Asymptotic arbitrage in large financial markets," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 143-172. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Duffie, Darrell & Singleton, Kenneth J, 1999. "Modeling Term Structures of Defaultable Bonds," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 12(4), pages 687-720.
  8. Robert A. Jarrow & David Lando & Fan Yu, 2005. "Default Risk And Diversification: Theory And Empirical Implications," Mathematical Finance, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 15(1), pages 1-26. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Black, Fischer & Scholes, Myron S, 1973. "The Pricing of Options and Corporate Liabilities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 637-54, May-June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Black, Fischer & Cox, John C, 1976. "Valuing Corporate Securities: Some Effects of Bond Indenture Provisions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 31(2), pages 351-67, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Merton, Robert C, 1969. "Lifetime Portfolio Selection under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(3), pages 247-57, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Jarrow, Robert A & Turnbull, Stuart M, 1995. " Pricing Derivatives on Financial Securities Subject to Credit Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(1), pages 53-85, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Morten Christensen & Eckhard Platen, 2005. "Sharpe Ratio Maximization and Expected Utility when Asset Prices have Jumps," Research Paper Series 170, Quantitative Finance Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney. [Downloadable!]
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