Optional Sampling Theorems

Abstract

In Chapter 9 we saw that martingales are transformed into martingales if we apply certain admissible gambling strategies. In this chapter, we establish a similar stability property for martingales that are stopped at a random time (optional sampling and optional stopping). In order also to obtain these results for submartingales and supermartingales, in the first section, we start with a decomposition theorem for adapted processes. We show the optional sampling and optional stopping theorems in the second section. The chapter finishes with the investigation of random stopping times with an infinite time horizon.