Continuous-time Markowitz's mean-variance model under different borrowing and saving rates

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a continuous-time mean-variance portfolio optimization model with different borrowing and saving rates, deriving optimal strategies, boundaries, and verifying results through numerical examples.

Contribution

It introduces a fully nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation solution with smooth value function and characterizes optimal trading boundaries and strategies in a complex market setting.

Findings

Existence of borrowing and saving boundaries dividing trading regions

Optimal strategies involve all-in-stock or continuous trading depending on the region

Numerical examples confirm theoretical results and provide financial insights

Abstract

We study Markowitz's mean-variance portfolio selection problem in a continuous-time Black-Scholes market with different borrowing and saving rates. The associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is fully nonlinear. Using a delicate partial differential equation and verification argument, the value function is proven to be $C^{3,2}$ smooth. It is also shown that there are a borrowing boundary and a saving barrier which divide the entire trading area into a borrowing-money region, an all-in-stock region, and a saving-money region in ascending order. The optimal trading strategy is a mixture of continuous-time strategy (as suggested by most continuous-time models) and discontinuous-time strategy (as suggested by models with transaction costs): one should put all her wealth in the stock in the middle all-in-stock region, and continuously trade it in the other two regions in a feedback form of wealth and time. It is never optimal to short sale the stock. Numerical examples are also presented to verify the theoretical results and to give more financial insights beyond them.