A4.12 B4.16

Stochastic Financial Models
Part II, 2004

What is Brownian motion (Bt)t0\left(B_{t}\right)_{t \geqslant 0} ? Briefly explain how Brownian motion can be considered as a limit of simple random walks. State the Reflection Principle for Brownian motion, and use it to derive the distribution of the first passage time τainf{t:Bt=a}\tau_{a} \equiv \inf \left\{t: B_{t}=a\right\} to some level a>0a>0.

Suppose that Xt=Bt+ctX_{t}=B_{t}+c t, where c>0c>0 is constant. Stating clearly any results to which you appeal, derive the distribution of the first-passage time τa(c)inf{t:Xt=a}\tau_{a}^{(c)} \equiv \inf \left\{t: X_{t}=a\right\} to a>0a>0.

Now let σasup{t:Xt=a}\sigma_{a} \equiv \sup \left\{t: X_{t}=a\right\}, where a>0a>0. Find the density of σa\sigma_{a}.