Static hedging of multivariate derivatives by simulation

We propose an approximate static hedging procedure for multivariate derivatives. The hedging portfolio is composed of statically held simple univariate options, optimally weighted minimizing the variance of the difference between the target claim and the approximate replicating portfolio. The method uses simulated paths to estimate the weights of the hedging portfolio and is related to Monte Carlo control variates techniques. We report numerical results showing the performance of this static hedging procedure on bivariate options on the maximum of two assets and on 2and 7dimensional portfolio options. It is shown that, in the presence of transaction costs, Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall of the dynamically hedged positions can be higher than the ones obtained by a static hedge. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.