Inverting the Radon–Nikodym Derivative Under Girsanov’s Theorem
Summary
The document answers how to obtain the Radon–Nikodym derivative in the reverse direction after a Girsanov change of measure. If the density process of measure Q relative to measure P is known and is strictly positive, the density of P relative to Q on the same information set is its reciprocal. The response also derives this result using Brownian motion under each measure.
Starting from the exponential martingale defining the change to Q, it writes the reverse density as a stochastic exponential driven by the Q Brownian motion. Substituting the relationship between the two Brownian motions reduces that expression to the inverse of the original density process. This provides both a measure-theoretic identity and a Girsanov-based derivation. The explanation assumes the measures are equivalent and the stated stochastic exponentials define valid density processes; it does not discuss the conditions needed to ensure those assumptions, such as integrability conditions.
Key ideas
- For equivalent measures, the reverse density on the same sigma-algebra is the reciprocal of the forward density.
- Girsanov’s Brownian-motion relationship can derive the reverse density process.
- The reverse stochastic exponential uses the Brownian motion under the changed measure.
- The argument assumes valid, strictly positive density processes and does not establish their existence conditions.
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# Girsanov Theorem, Radon-Nikodym Derivative backward
# Girsanov Theorem, Radon-Nikodym Derivative backward
Given a filtered probablity space $(\Omega,\mathcal{F},{\mathcal{F}}_t,\mathbb{P})$ and a standard Brownian motion $W_t$.
Normally, in Girsanov Theorem, we use the exponential martingale $Z_t=\exp(-\int_0^tH_sdW_s -\frac{1}{2}\int_0^tH_s^2 d_s)$ as the Radon-Nikodym Derivative to find an equivalent martingale measure, i.e. to define a probability measure $\mathbb{Q}$, s.t. $\frac{\mathrm{d}\mathbb{Q}}{\mathrm{d}\mathbb{P}}=Z_T$.
Then $W_t^{\mathbb{Q}}=W_t+\int_0^tH_sds$ is a standard Brownian motion under $\mathbb{Q}$.
Now, my question is, since $\mathbb{P}$ and ${\mathbb{Q}}$ are equivalent, by Radon-Nikodym Theorem, there exists a $\mathcal{F}_T$-measurable random variable $\Lambda$, s.t. $\frac{\mathrm{d}\mathbb{P}}{\mathrm{d}\mathbb{Q}}=\Lambda$, can we compute $\Lambda$ when $Z_T$ is known?
## Answer by Quantuple (score 13, accepted)
https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/37676
The result you're looking for is $$ \left. \frac{d\Bbb{P}}{d\Bbb{Q}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} = \left( \left. \frac{d\Bbb{Q}}{d\Bbb{P}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} \right)^{-1} $$ This is a result from measure theory but since you mention it, let's see how we can show it based on Girsanov theorem.
Starting from the definitions you provide and introducing some notations $$ Z_t = \left. \frac{d\Bbb{Q}}{d\Bbb{P}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} = \exp\left( -\int_0^t H_s dW_s^\Bbb{P} - \frac{1}{2}\int_0^t H_s^2 ds \right) := \mathcal{E} \left( -\int_0^t H_s dW_s^\Bbb{P} \right) $$ where $\mathcal{E}(X_t)$ figures the stochastic exponential of the process $X_t$ i.e. $$ \mathcal{E}(X_t) = \exp\left( X_t - \frac{1}{2} \langle X \rangle_t \right) $$ Similarly let's define the stochastic logarithm $\mathcal{L}$ of a process $X_t$ such that: $$ \mathcal{L}(\mathcal{E}(X_t)) = X_t $$
What Girsanov theorem says, is that the process on the LHS of the following equation is a Brownian motion under $\Bbb{Q}$ \begin{align} W_t^\Bbb{Q} &= W_t^\Bbb{P} - \left\langle W_s^\Bbb{P}, \mathcal{L}\left( \left. \frac{d\Bbb{Q}}{d\Bbb{P}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_s} \right) \right\rangle_t \\ &= W_t^\Bbb{P} - \left\langle W_s^\Bbb{P}, -\int_0^s H_u dW_u^\Bbb{P} \right\rangle_t \\ &= W_t^\Bbb{P} + \int_0^t H_s ds \tag{1} \end{align} Now turning this on its head gives \begin{align} W_t^\Bbb{P} &= W_t^\Bbb{Q} - \int_0^t H_s ds \\ &:= W_t^\Bbb{Q} - \left\langle W_t^\Bbb{Q}, \mathcal{L}\left( \left. \frac{d\Bbb{P}}{d\Bbb{Q}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_s} \right) \right\rangle_t \end{align} which shows that ('reverse' Girsanov) $$ \left. \frac{d\Bbb{P}}{d\Bbb{Q}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} = \mathcal{E}\left( \int_0^t H_s dW_s^\Bbb{Q} \right) \tag{2} $$ Starting from $(2)$ using the definition of the stochastic exponential and differentiating $(1)$ to plug it in the resulting expression then yields \begin{align} \left. \frac{d\Bbb{P}}{d\Bbb{Q}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} &= \exp\left( \int_0^t H_s dW_s^\Bbb{Q} - \frac{1}{2} \int_0^t H_s^2 ds \right) \\ &= \exp\left( \int_0^t H_s (dW_s^\Bbb{P} + H_s ds) - \frac{1}{2} \int_0^t H_s^2 ds \right) \\ &= \exp\left( \int_0^t H_s dW_s^\Bbb{P} + \frac{1}{2} \int_0^t H_s^2 ds \right) \\ &= Z_t^{-1} \\ &= \left( \left. \frac{d\Bbb{Q}}{d\Bbb{P}}\right\vert_{\mathcal{F}_t} \right)^{-1} \end{align}Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Stack Exchange)
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