Optimal Hedging under Intertemporally Dependent Preferences

This paper examines optimal hedging behavior in a market where preferences for current consumption are partly determined by the consumer's past consumption history. The model considers an individual exposed to price risk, who allocates wealth between consumption and futures contracts over a (continuous-time) finite planning horizon. The speculative component of the hedge ratio is shown to be smaller and the consumption path smoother than in models where preferences are separable over time. Some comparative-static properties of the hedge ratio are also examined.     

On Diversification Given Asymmetry in Returns

Complete diversification is the rational investment strategy for a risk averse individual in a homogeneous securities market who considers only the first two moments of return. Observed behavior of market participants, however, demonstrates that the majority of individual investors hold imperfectly diversified portfolios. The purpose of the present study is to examine one potential cause for this behavior which does not rely on imperfection in the capital market. Specifically, we show that given the existence of, and investor preference for, positive skewness, a rational investor may hold an optimal limited number of homogeneous risk assets.