Convergence of optimal expected utility for a sequence of discrete-time markets

Math Financ. 2020 Oct;30(4):1205-1228. doi: 10.1111/mafi.12277. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Abstract

We examine Kreps' conjecture that optimal expected utility in the classic Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) economy is the limit of optimal expected utility for a sequence of discrete-time economies that "approach" the BSM economy in a natural sense: The nth discrete-time economy is generated by a scaled n-step random walk, based on an unscaled random variable ζ with mean 0, variance 1, and bounded support. We confirm Kreps' conjecture if the consumer's utility function U has asymptotic elasticity strictly less than one, and we provide a counterexample to the conjecture for a utility function U with asymptotic elasticity equal to 1, for ζ such that E [ ζ 3 ] > 0 .

Keywords: Black–Scholes model; Cox–Ross–Rubinstein model; discrete versus continuous time; optimal expected utility.