Exact Simulation of the Extrema of Stable Processes

Abstract

We exhibit an exact simulation algorithm for the supremum of a stable process over a finite time interval using dominated coupling from the past (DCFTP). We establish a novel perpetuity equation for the supremum (via the representation of the concave majorants of L\'evy processes) and apply it to construct a Markov chain in the DCFTP algorithm. We prove that the number of steps taken backwards in time before the coalescence is detected is finite. We analyse numerically the performance of the algorithm (the code, written in Julia 1.0, is available on GitHub).