Optimal Investment and Consumption Decisions under the Constant Elasticity of Variance Model

Abstract

We consider an investment and consumption problem under the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model, which is an extension of the original Merton’s problem. In the proposed model, stock price dynamics is assumed to follow a CEV model and our goal is to maximize the expected discounted utility of consumption and terminal wealth. Firstly, we apply dynamic programming principle to obtain the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation for the value function. Secondly, we choose power utility and logarithm utility for our analysis and apply variable change technique to obtain the closed-form solutions to the optimal investment and consumption strategies. Finally, we provide a numerical example to illustrate the effect of market parameters on the optimal investment and consumption strategies.