Modelling Non-monotone Risk Aversion and Convex Compensation in Incomplete Markets

Abstract

In hedge funds, convex compensation schemes are popular to stimulate a high-profit performance for portfolio managers. In economics, non-monotone risk aversion is proposed to argue that individuals may not be risk-averse when the wealth level is low. Combining these two ingredients, we study the optimal control strategy of the manager in incomplete markets. Generally, we propose a wide class of utility functions, the Piecewise Symmetric Asymptotic Hyperbolic Absolute Risk Aversion (PSAHARA) utility, to model the two ingredients, containing both non-concavity and non-differentiability as some abnormalities. Significantly, we derive an explicit optimal control for the family of PSAHARA utilities. This control is expressed into a unified four-term structure, featuring the asymptotic Merton term and the risk adjustment term. Furthermore, we provide a detailed asymptotic analysis and numerical illustration of the optimal portfolio. We obtain the following key insights: (i) A manager with the PSAHARA utility becomes extremely risk-seeking when his/her wealth level tends to zero; (ii) The optimal investment ratio tends to the Merton constant as the wealth level approaches infinity and the negative Merton constant when the wealth falls to negative infinity, implying that such a manager takes a risk-seeking investment as the wealth falls negatively low; (iii) The convex compensation still induces a great risk-taking behavior in the case that the preference is modeled by SAHARA utility. Finally, we conduct a real-data analysis of the U.S. stock market under the above model and conclude that the PSAHARA portfolio is very risk-seeking and leads to a high return and a high volatility (two-peak Sharpe ratio).