Expected Supremum Representation of a Class of Single Boundary Stopping Problems

Abstract: We consider the representation of the value of a class of optimal stopping problems of linear diffusions in a linearized form as an expected supremum of a known function. We establish an explicit integral representation of this representing function by utilizing the explicitly known marginals of the joint probability distribution of the extremal processes. We also delineate circumstances under which the value of a stopping problem induces directly this representation and show how it is connected with the monotonicity of the generator. We compare our findings with existing literature and show, for example, how our representation is linked to the smooth fit principle and how it coincides with the optimal stopping signal representation. The intricacies of the developed integral representation are explicitly illustrated in various examples arising in financial applications of optimal stopping.