Analysis of Conditional Value-at-Risk for Newsvendor with Holding and Backorder Cost under Market Search

We consider a distribution system with one supplier and two retailers. For the two retailers, they face different demand and are both risk averse. We study a single period model which the supplier has ample goods and the retailers order goods separately. Market search is measured as the fraction of customers who unsatisfied with their ＂local＂ retailer due to stock-out, and search for the goods at the other retailer before leaving the system. We investigate how the retailers game for order quantity in a Conditional Value-at-Risk framework and study how risk averse degree, market search level, holding cost and backorder cost influence the optimal order strategies. Furthermore, we use uniform distribution to illustrate these results and obtain Nash equilibrium of order strategies.

Conditional Value-at-Risk for Random Immediate Reward Variables in Markov Decision Processes

We consider risk minimization problems for Markov decision processes. From a standpoint of making the risk of random reward variable at each time as small as possible, a risk measure is introduced using conditional value-at-risk for random immediate reward variables in Markov decision processes, under whose risk measure criteria the risk-optimal policies are characterized by the optimality equations for the discounted or average case. As an application, the inventory models are considered.

OPTIMAL DECISIONS WHEN BALANCING EXPECTED PROFIT AND CONDITIONAL VALUE-AT-RISK IN NEWSVENDOR MODELS

This paper investigates a risk-averse inventory model by balancing the expected profit and conditional value-at-risk （CVaR） in a newsvendor model setting. We find out that： i） The optimal order quantity is increasing in the shortage cost for both the CVaR only criterion and the tradeoff objective, ii） For the case of zero shortage cost, the optimal order quantity to the CVaR criterion or tradeoff objective is increasing in the selling price, respectively. However, it may not be monotonic in the selling price when incorporating a substantial shortage cost. Moreover, it may be larger or less than the risk-neutral solution, iii） Under the tradeoff objective function, although the optimal order quantity for the model without shortage cost is increasing in the weight put on the expected profit, this property may not be true in general for the model with a substantial shortage cost. Some numerical examples are conducted to verify our results and observations.

Optimization of water use structure and plantation benefit of unit water consumption using fractional programming and conditional value-at-risk model

For optimizing the water-use structure and increasing plantation benefit of unit water consumption,a multi-objective model for water resources utilization was established based on fractional programming(FP).Meanwhile,considering the stochasticity of water availability in the study area,the impact of the risk factor(λ)from a quantitative and qualitative perspective was analyzed.The chance-constrained programming(CCP)and conditional value-at-risk(CVaR)models were introduced into five important major grain production areas in Sanjiang Plain,and the crop planting structure under this condition was optimized.The results showed that,after optimization,overall benefit of cultivation increased from 42.07 billion Yuan to 42.47 billion Yuan,water consumption decreased from 15.90 billion m3 to 11.95 billion m3,the plantation benefit of unit water consumption increased from 2.65 Yuan/m3 to 3.55 Yuan/m3.Furthermore,the index of water consumption,benefit of cultivation and plantation benefit of unit water consumption showed an increasing trend with the increase of violation likelihood.However,through the quantification ofλfrom an economic perspective,the increasing ofλcould not enhance plantation benefit of unit water consumption significantly.

Real-time Risk-averse Dispatch of an Integrated Electricity and Natural Gas System via Condi-tional Value-at-risk-based Lookup-table Ap-proximate Dynamic Programming

The real-time risk-averse dispatch problem of an integrated electricity and natural gas system(IEGS)is studied in this paper.It is formulated as a real-time conditional value-at-risk(CVaR)-based risk-averse dis-patch model in the Markov decision process framework.Because of its stochasticity,nonconvexity and nonlinearity,the model is difficult to analyze by traditional algorithms in an acceptable time.To address this non-deterministic polynomial-hard problem,a CVaR-based lookup-table approximate dynamic programming(CVaR-ADP)algo-rithm is proposed,and the risk-averse dispatch problem is decoupled into a series of tractable subproblems.The line pack is used as the state variable to describe the impact of one period’s decision on the future.This facilitates the reduction of load shedding and wind power curtailment.Through the proposed method,real-time decisions can be made according to the current information,while the value functions can be used to overview the whole opti-mization horizon to balance the current cost and future risk loss.Numerical simulations indicate that the pro-posed method can effectively measure and control the risk costs in extreme scenarios.Moreover,the decisions can be made within 10 s,which meets the requirement of the real-time dispatch of an IEGS.Index Terms—Integrated electricity and natural gas system,approximate dynamic programming,real-time dispatch,risk-averse,conditional value-at-risk.

风险管理的CVaR法及其在银行信用风险度量中的运用

作为银行主要风险的信用风险,在中国经济体制转轨时期表现得更加尖锐。鉴于现有测度体系对风险度量方法的研究和探索存在一定缺陷,笔者通过引入一种VaR的修正模型CVaR,率先将此方法运用于度量信用风险,建立了具体的数学模型,给出了求解方法及步骤,从而测算出银行贷款组合的CVaR值,得到了银行信用风险的预警值,并总结出目前CVaR风险测度法在我国运用的难度,最后提出建议。

Strong Consistency of CVaR Optimal Estimator

Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) is one of the commonly used risk measures. The paper shows that the optimal estimator of CVaR is strong consistency if the first-order moment of the population exists. We subsequently carry out numerical simulations to test the conclusion. We use the results to make an empirical analysis of Shenzhen A shares.

Risk-Averse Two-Stage Distributionally Robust Economic Dispatch Model Under Uncertain Renewable Energy

With the participation of large quantities of renewable energy in power system operations,their volatility and intermittence increases the difficulties and challenges of power system economic scheduling.Considering the uncertainty of renewable energy generation,based on the distributionally robust optimization method,a two-stage economic dispatch model is proposed to minimize the total operation costs.In this paper,it is assumed that the fluctuating of renewable power generation follows the unknown probability distribution that is restricted in an ambiguity set,which is established by utilizing the first-order moment information of available historical data.Furthermore,the theory of conditional value-at-risk is introduced to transform the model into a tractable model,which we call robust counterpart formulation.Based on the stochastic dual dynamic programming method,an improved iterative algorithm is proposed to solve the robust counterpart problem.Specifically,the convergence optimum can be obtained by the improved iterative algorithm,which performs a forward pass and backward pass repeatedly in each iterative process.Finally,by comparing with other methods,the results on the modified IEEE 6-bus,118-bus,and 300-bus system show the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed model and method.

Security Constrained Distributed Transaction Model for Multiple Prosumers

Massive access of renewable energy has prompted demand-side distributed resources to participate in regulation and improve flexibility of power systems. With large-scale access of massive, decentralized, and diverse distributed resources, demand-side market members have transformed from traditional “consumers” to “prosumers”. To explore the distributed transaction model of prosumers, in this paper, a multi-prosumer distributed transaction model is proposed, and the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) theory is applied to quantify potential risks caused by the stochastic characteristics inherited from renewable energy. First, a prosumer model under constraints of the distribution network including photovoltaic units, fuel cells, energy storage system, central air conditioning and flexible loads is established, and a multi-prosumer distributed transaction strategy is proposed to achieve power sharing among multiple prosumers. Second, a prosumer transaction model based on CVaR is constructed to measure risks inherited from the uncertainty of PV output within the prosumer and ensure safety of system operation in extreme PV output scenarios. Then, the alternating direction multiplier method (ADMM) is utilized to solve the constructed model efficiently. Finally, distributed transaction costs of prosumers are distributed fairly based on the generalized Nash equilibrium to maximize social benefits. Simulation results show the multi-prosumer distributed transaction mechanism established under the proposed generalized Nash equilibrium method can encourage power sharing among prosumers, increasing their own income and social benefits. Also, the CVaR can assist decision making of prosumers in weighting the risks and benefits, improving system resilience through energy management of prosumers.

Operation Cost Optimization Method of Regional Integrated Energy System in Electricity Market Environment Considering Uncertainty

In the electricity market environment,the regional integrated energy system(RIES)can reduce the total operation cost by participating in electricity market transactions.However,the RIES will face the risk of load and electricity price uncertainties,which may make its operation cost higher than expected.This paper proposes a method to optimize the operation cost of the RIES in the electricity market environment considering uncertainty.Firstly,based on the operation cost structure of the RIES in the electricity market environment,the energy flow relationship of the RIES is analyzed,and the operation cost model of the RIES is built.Then,the electricity purchase costs of the RIES in the medium-and long-term electricity markets,the spot electricity market,and the retail electricity market are analyzed.Finally,considering the risk of load and electricity price uncertainties,the operation cost optimization model of the RIES is established based on conditional value-at-risk.Then it is solved to obtain the operation cost optimization strategy of the RIES.Verification results show that the proposed operation cost optimization method can reduce the operation cost of high electricity price scenario by optimizing the energy purchase and distribution strategy,constrain the risk of load and electricity price uncertainties,and help balance the risks and benefits.

A PRICE-SETTING NEWSVENDOR MODEL UNDER CVAR DECISION CRITERION WITH EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT

In this paper, we consider a newsvendor model in which a risk-averse manager faces a stochastic price-dependent demand in either an additive or a multiplicative form. An emergency purchase option is allowed after the realization of demand to satisfy the units that are short. By adopting Conditional value-at-risk （CVaR） as the decision criterion, we aim to investigate the optimal pricing and ordering decisions, and the effects of parameter changes in such a setting. We provide sufficient conditions for the uniqueness of the optimal policy for both demand models. We perforl~, comparative statics analysis to show how the optimal pricing and ordering decision behaves when changing parameters. We also compare our results with those of the newsvendor with a general utility function and with CVaR criterion under lost sales assumption. Our key results include： （i） For both demand models, the optimal selling price is decreasing in risk aversion. Hence, the optimal price of a risk-averse newsvendor is not greater than the optimal price of a risk-neutral newsvendor. （it） In contrary to the lost sales case, for the multiplicative demand model, the optimal order quantity may not be monotonic in risk aversion. Consequently, the optimal risk-averse order quantity may be lower or higher than the optimal risk- neutral counterpart. （iii） For the additive model, the optimal order quantity is strictly increasing in the emergency purchase price, while for the multiplicative model the optimal order quantity has no such a monotonic property. Some numerical examples are conducted to verify our claims and gain more insights about the risk-averse decision-making behaviors.

Comparative Analysis of Optimal Strategies with Two Purchase Modes under Different Risk-Averse Criterions

Consider a risk-averse newsvendor who has an option to purchase the units that are short at an emergency purchase price after demand is realized. We use the conditional value-at-risk （CVaR） as the risk measure. The aim of the study is to investigate the optimal ordering decision in such a setting under CVaR only and mean-CVaR criterions. For each case, we derive the closed-form optimal solution and perform comparative statics to show the monotonicity properties and other characteristics of the optimal decisions. We also compare our results with those of risk-neutral newsvendor.

Optimal reinsurance designs based on risk measures:a review

Reinsurance is an effective way for an insurance company to control its risk.How to design an optimal reinsurance contract is not only a key topic in actuarial science,but also an interesting research question in mathematics and statistics.Optimal reinsurance design problems can be proposed from different perspectives.Risk measures as tools of quantitative risk management have been extensively used in insurance and finance.Optimal reinsurance designs based on risk measures have been widely studied in the literature of insurance and become an active research topic.Different research approaches have been developed and many interesting results have been obtained in this area.These approaches and results have potential applications in future research.In this article,we review the recent advances in optimal reinsurance designs based on risk measures in static models and discuss some interesting problems on this topic for future research.

Optimal Day-ahead Scheduling of Islanded Microgrid Considering Risk-based Reserve Decision

Due to the lack of support from the main grid,the intermittency of renewable energy sources(RESs)and the fluctuation of load will derive uncertainties to the operation of islanded microgrids(IMGs).It is crucial to allocate appropriate reserve capacity for the economic and reliable operation of IMGs.With the high penetration of RESs,it faces both economic and environmental challenges if we only use spinning reserve for reserve support.To solve these problems,a multi-type reserve scheme for IMGs is proposed according to different operation characteristics of generation,load,and storage.The operation risk due to reserve shortage is modeled by the conditional value-at-risk(CVaR)method.The correlation of input variables is considered for the forecasting error modeling of RES and load,and Latin hypercube sampling(LHS)is adopted to generate the random scenarios of the forecasting error,so as to avoid the dimension disaster caused by conventional large-scale scenario sampling approaches.Furthermore,an optimal day-ahead scheduling model of joint energy and reserve considering riskbased reserve decision is established to coordinate the security and economy of the operation of IMGs.Finally,the comparison of numerical results of different schemes demonstrate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed scheme and model.

Time Consistent Multi-period Worst-Case Risk Measure in Robust Portfolio Selection

In this paper,we first construct a time consistent multi-period worst-case risk measure,which measures the dynamic investment risk period-wise from a distributionally robust perspective.Under the usually adopted uncertainty set,we derive the explicit optimal investment strategy for the multi-period robust portfolio selection problem under the multi-period worst-case risk measure.Empirical results demonstrate that the portfolio selection model under the proposed risk measure is a good complement to existing multi-period robust portfolio selection models using the adjustable robust approach.

Risk management for sulfur dioxide abatement under multiple uncertainties

In this study, interval-parameter programming, two-stage stochastic progranaming （TSP）, and conditional value-at-risk （CVaR） were incorporated into a general optimization framework, leading to an interval-parameter CVaR-based two-stage programming （ICTP） method. The ICTP method had several advantages： （i） its objective function simultaneously took expected cost and risk cost into consideration, and also used discrete random variables and discrete intervals to reflect uncertain properties; （ii） it quantitatively evaluated the right tail of distributions of random variables which could better calculate the risk of violated environmental standards; （iii） it was useful for helping decision makers to analyze the trade-offs between cost and risk; and （iv） it was effective to penalize the second-stage costs, as well as to capture the notion of risk in stochastic programming. The developed model was applied to sulfur dioxide abatement in an air quality management system. The results indicated that the ICTP method could be used for generating a series of air quality management schemes under different risk-aversion levels, for identifying desired air quality management strategies for decision makers, and for considering a proper balance between system economy and environmental quality.

CVaR-hedging and its applications to equity-linked life insurance contracts with transaction costs

This paper analyzes Conditional Value-at-Risk(CVaR)based partial hedging and its applications on equity-linked life insurance contracts in a Jump-Diffusion market model with transaction costs.A nonlinear partial differential equation(PDE)that an option value process inclusive of transaction costs should satisfy is provided.In particular,the closed-form expression of a European call option price is given.Meanwhile,the CVaR-based partial hedging strategy for a call option is derived explicitly.Both the CVaR hedging price and the weights of the hedging portfolio are based on an adjusted volatility.We obtain estimated values of expected total hedging errors and total transaction costs by a simulation method.Furthermore,our results are implemented to derive target clients’survival probabilities and age of equity-linked life insurance contracts.

An Asset Allocation Model and Its Solving Method

Asset allocation is an important issue in finance, and both risk and return are its fundamental ingredients. Rather than the return, the measure of the risk is complicated and of controversy.In this paper, we propose an appropriate risk measure which is precisely a convex combination of mean semi-deviation and conditional value-at-risk. Based on this risk measure, investors can trade-off flexibly between the volatility and the loss to tackle the incurring risk by choosing different convex coefficients.As the presented risk measure contains nonsmooth term, the asset allocation model based on it is nonsmooth. To employ traditional gradient algorithms, we develop a uniform smooth approximation of the plus function and convert the model into a smooth one. Finally, an illustrative empirical study is given. The results indicate that investors can control risk efficiently by adjusting the convex coefficient and the confidence level simultaneously according to their perceptions. Moreover, the effectiveness of the smoothing function proposed in the paper is verified.

Tail asymptotic expansions for L-statistics

We derive higher-order expansions of L-statistics of independent risks X1,..., Xn under conditions on the underlying distribution function F. The new results are applied to derive the asymptotic expansions of ratios of two kinds of risk measures, stop-loss premium and excess return on capital, respectively. Several examples and a Monte Carlo simulation study show the efficiency of our novel asymptotic expansions. Keywords smoothly varying condition, second-order regular variation, tail asymptotics, value-at-risk, con- ditional tail expectation, largest claims reinsurance, ratio of risk measure, excess return on capital