Mathematical Finance Seminar

March 7, 2002 , 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

Francois Oustry, Raise Partner

Spectral Covariance Matrix Correction and Applications in Finance

Existing quantitative portfolio management softwares, based on traditional Mean-Variance approaches, often lead to various numerical instabilities which are not acceptable for an investment manager. Using a Von Neumann-Kato covariance matrix correction step as well as an efficient dual semidefinite programming scheme, we show that stable and well-conditioned risk estimators can be obtained. Some practical results will also be presented to illustrate the impact of the correction on the efficiency as well as the sensivity of constructed portfolios. A particular focus is proposed to see how to use the correction step to get a robust implementation of a Black-Litterman type global asset allocation model.