Wir untersuchen eine zeitstetige Variante des zeitlich diskreten Modells von Jarrow für einen illiquiden Finanzmarkt. In dieser kann mit einem Bond und einer Aktie gehandelt werden. Während im Standardmodell eines liquiden Finanzmarktes die stochastische Dynamik des Aktienpreises durch ein festes Semimartingal modelliert wird, hängt der Aktienpreis in unserem Modell einerseits von einem fundamentalen Semimartingal, das sich als kumulative Nachfrage vieler kleiner Investoren interpretieren läßt, andererseits aber auch monoton wachsend vom Aktienbestand der Handelsstrategie eines ökonomischen Agenten ab. Wegen des damit verbundenen Rückkopplungseffekts ist es, im Gegensatz zu liquiden Finanzmärkten, nicht möglich, die bekannten Darstellungssätze der Stochastischen Analysis zu verwenden, um Zufallsvariablen als stochastische Integrale bezüglich des Prozesses der abdiskontierten Aktienpreise darzustellen und auf dieser Basis Absicherungsstrategien für Derivate zu konstruieren. Wir definieren den realisierbaren Portfoliowert als den abdiskontierten Erlös einer idealisierten, in einem gewissen Sinne optimalen, Liquidationsstrategie. Mit Hilfe der Ito-Formel leiten wir eine Zerlegung der Dynamik des realisierbaren Portfoliowertes selbstfinanzierender Strategien in ein stochastisches Integral und einen fallenden Prozeß her. Dabei ist der Integrator des stochastischen Integrals ein von der betrachteten Strategie unabhängiges lokales Martingal unter einem äquivalenten Martingalmaß . Aus dieser Zerlegung ergibt sich ein Beweis für die Arbitragefreiheit des Modells. Der Zerlegungssatz zeigt insbesondere, daß der realisierbare Portfoliowert stetiger Strategien von beschränkter Variation ein lokales Martingal unter einem äquivalenten Martingalmaß ist. Wir beweisen deshalb einen Approximationssatz für stochastische Integrale, der es erlaubt, sich bei der Absicherung von Derivaten auf solche Strategien zu beschränken. Durch Kombination des Approximationssatzes und des Zerlegungssatzes können wir Superreplikationspreise von Derivaten bestimmen und die relevanten Portfoliooptimierungsprobleme lösen. / We study a continuous time version of Jarrows model for an illiquid financial market in discrete time. In this model one can trade with a bond and a stock. In standard models for liquid financial markets, the stochastic dynamic of stock prices is modelled as a given semimartingale. In contrast, stock prices in our model depend on a fundamental semimartingale that can be interpreted as the cumulative demand of small investors and, in a monotone increasing way, on the strategy of an economic agent. Because of the resulting feedback effects, it is no longer possible to use the well known representation theorems of stochastic analysis to write random variables as stochastic integrals with respect to discounted stock prices and to use this to find hedging strategies for derivatives. We define realisable portfolio wealth as the discounted proceeds of an idealised liquidation strategy that is optimal in a certain sense. Using Itos formula, we can write the dynamics of the realisable portfolio wealth of self-financing strategies as the sum of a stochastic integral and a decreasing process. The integrator in the stochastic integral is a local martingale under an equivalent martingale measure that does not depend on the self-financing strategy. This decomposition yields a proof for the fact that our model is arbitrage free. The decomposition theorem shows that the realisable portfolio wealth of continuous strategies of bounded variation is a local martingale under an equivalent martingale measure. Therefore, we proof an approximation result for stochastic integrals that shows that we can restrict the search for hedging strategies to continuous strategies of bounded variation. By combining the approximation result and the decomposition theorem we can calculate superreplication prices for derivatives and solve the relevant portfolio optimisation problems.

<p>This thesis, consisting of six papers and a summary, studies the area of continuous time financial mathematics. A unifying theme for many of the problems studied is the implications of possible mis-specifications of models. Intimately connected with this question is, perhaps surprisingly, convexity properties of option prices. We also study qualitative behavior of different optimal stopping boundaries appearing in option pricing.</p><p>In Paper I a new condition on the contract function of an American option is provided under which the option price increases monotonically in the volatility. It is also shown that American option prices are continuous in the volatility.</p><p>In Paper II an explicit pricing formula for the perpetual American put option in the Constant Elasticity of Variance model is derived. Moreover, different properties of this price are studied.</p><p>Paper III deals with the Russian option with a finite time horizon. It is shown that the value of the Russian option solves a certain free boundary problem. This information is used to analyze the optimal stopping boundary.</p><p>A study of perpetual game options is performed in Paper IV. One of the main results provides a condition under which the value of the option is increasing in the volatility.</p><p>In Paper V options written on several underlying assets are considered. It is shown that, within a large class of models, the only model for the stock prices that assigns convex option prices to all convex contract functions is geometric Brownian motion.</p><p>Finally, in Paper VI it is shown that the optimal stopping boundary for the American put option is convex in the standard Black-Scholes model. </p>

This thesis, consisting of six papers and a summary, studies the area of continuous time financial mathematics. A unifying theme for many of the problems studied is the implications of possible mis-specifications of models. Intimately connected with this question is, perhaps surprisingly, convexity properties of option prices. We also study qualitative behavior of different optimal stopping boundaries appearing in option pricing. In Paper I a new condition on the contract function of an American option is provided under which the option price increases monotonically in the volatility. It is also shown that American option prices are continuous in the volatility. In Paper II an explicit pricing formula for the perpetual American put option in the Constant Elasticity of Variance model is derived. Moreover, different properties of this price are studied. Paper III deals with the Russian option with a finite time horizon. It is shown that the value of the Russian option solves a certain free boundary problem. This information is used to analyze the optimal stopping boundary. A study of perpetual game options is performed in Paper IV. One of the main results provides a condition under which the value of the option is increasing in the volatility. In Paper V options written on several underlying assets are considered. It is shown that, within a large class of models, the only model for the stock prices that assigns convex option prices to all convex contract functions is geometric Brownian motion. Finally, in Paper VI it is shown that the optimal stopping boundary for the American put option is convex in the standard Black-Scholes model.