Option pricing in exponential L\'evy models with transaction costs. (arXiv:1611.00389v1 [q-fin.MF])

We present an approach for pricing a European call option in presence of proportional transaction costs, when the stock price follows a general exponential L\'evy process. The model is a generalization of the celebrated work of Davis, Panas and Zariphopoulou (1993), where the value of the option is found using the concept of utility indifference price. This requires to solve two stochastic singular control problems in finite time, satisfying the same Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation and with different terminal conditions. We solve numerically the continuous time optimization problem using the Markov chain approximation method, and consider the underlying stock following an exponential Merton jump-diffusion process. This model takes into account the possibility of portfolio bankruptcy. We show numerical results for the simpler case of an infinitely rich investor, whose probability of default can be ignored. Option prices are obtained for both the writer and the buyer.