Optimal reinsurance-investment strategy for a dynamic contagion claim model

Abstract

We study the optimal reinsurance-investment problem for the compound dynamic contagion process introduced by Dassios and Zhao (2011). This model allows for self-exciting and externally-exciting clustering effect for the claim arrivals, and includes the well-known Cox process with shot noise intensity and the Hawkes process as special cases. For tractability, we assume that the insurer’s risk preference is the time-consistent mean–variance criterion. By utilizing the dynamic programming and extended HJB equation approach, a closed-form expression is obtained for the equilibrium reinsurance-investment strategy. An excess-of-loss reinsurance type is shown to be optimal even in the presence of self-exciting and externally-exciting contagion claims, and the strategy depends on both the claim size and claim arrivals assumptions. Further, we show that the self-exciting effect is of a more dangerous nature than the externally-exciting effect as the former requires more risk management controls than the latter. In addition, we find that the reinsurance strategy does not always become more conservative (i.e., transferring more risk to the reinsurer) when the claim arrivals are contagious. Indeed, the insurer can be better off retaining more risk if the claim severity is relatively light-tailed.