Applied Mathematics and Optimization, Vol.79, No.1, 145-177, 2019
A Verification Theorem for Optimal Stopping Problems with Expectation Constraints
We consider the problem of optimally stopping a continuous-time process with a stopping time satisfying a given expectation cost constraint. We show, by introducing a new state variable, that one can transform the problem into an unconstrained control problem and hence obtain a dynamic programming principle. We characterize the value function in terms of the dynamic programming equation, which turns out to be an elliptic, fully non-linear partial differential equation of second order. We prove a classical verification theorem and illustrate its applicability with several examples.
Keywords:Optimal stopping;Expectation constraints;Dynamic programming principle;Verification theorem