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Put $p=1-R$, $b=\mu -r1$, $A=\sigma {\sigma }^T$ and $q=R+\epsilon$. First assume the covariance matrix $A$ is invertible and initial portfolio wealth is positive. Introduce the accumulated fee processThe Itô formula and the self-financing portfolio equation giveThis converts the path-dependent payment into a terminal-utility problem with state $y$. The volatility-penalized terminal fee changes its drift as well as its spot volatility.

Let $J(t,y)$ be the manager's value function. Its Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, with terminal condition $J(T,y)=y^p/p$, isThe homogeneity of CRRA utility suggests $J(t,y)=f(t)y^p/p$. Since $y{J}_y=f(t)y^p$ and $y^2{J}_{yy}=-Rf(t)y^p$, the portfolio-dependent expression isIts coefficient is positive even when $p<0$. Completing the square givesThus the stock fractions are constant. Substitution into the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation yieldsIn particular, multiplying the fee by $a$ does not affect the optimal investment portfolio.

To prove global optimality rather than merely solve a formal Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, write $v_t={\sigma }^T{\pi }_t$, $v^{\ast }={\sigma }^T{\pi }^{\ast }$ and let $y^{\ast }$ be the fee under the proposed constant policy. Then $b^T\pi =q{v}^{\ast }\cdot v$. Define a probability $Q$ byThis density is a true martingale because $v^{\ast }$ is constant. By the Girsanov theorem, $W_t^Q=W_t-p{v}^{\ast }t$ is a Brownian motion under $Q$. The geometric Brownian motion formula for the fee ratio givesFor admissible, locally square-integrable exposures with finite accumulated quadratic variation, setThis stochastic exponential is a positive local martingale, so $E_Q{Z}_T\le 1$. Moreover,For $p>0$, the exponent $p/(1+\epsilon )$ lies between zero and one. The Jensen inequality for this concave function gives $E_Q[Z_T^{p/(1+\epsilon )}]\le 1$. For $p<0$, the power is convex and decreasing, so the Jensen inequality gives $E_Q[Z_T^{p/(1+\epsilon )}]\ge (E_Q{Z}_T{)}^{p/(1+\epsilon )}\ge 1$; an infinite moment only makes this inequality stronger. Dividing by $p$, with its corresponding sign, proves $E[U(y_T)]\le E[U(y_T^{\ast })]$ in both cases. Equality is achieved by the constant policy.

For an ordinary terminal-wealth agent with relative risk aversion $q$, the same Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation calculation, with no fee penalty, maximizes $b^T\pi -q{\pi }^{T}A\pi /2$. It therefore gives exactly the same optimal investment portfolio. For $q\ne 1$, the preceding stochastic exponential and Jensen inequality verification applies with penalty zero and exponent $1-q$, proving global optimality for this agent too. The spot volatility penalty adds $\epsilon$ to effective relative risk aversion. If $q=1$, the printed expression for $U_0$ has a zero denominator; its appropriate limit, after subtracting an irrelevant constant, is $U_0(x)=\log x$, which still gives ${\pi }^{\ast }=A^{-1}b$. In this logarithmic case, the terminal log-wealth difference from the candidate equals $\log Z_T$ for a positive stochastic exponential $Z$, so $E[\log Z_T]\le \log E[Z_T]\le 0$ proves its optimality.

If $A$ is singular, the same conclusion holds in the absence of arbitrage, provided $b$ lies in the image of a linear map $x\mapsto Ax$: replace $A^{-1}$ by the Moore-Penrose inverse, and add any vector in the kernel of $A$ to ${\pi }^{\ast }$. These additions change neither returns nor Brownian portfolio exposures. If $b$ has a nonzero component in that kernel, a zero-volatility position has a nonzero excess return. Scaling its profitable sign gives arbitrage, so a finite attained optimum as claimed requires this degeneracy to be excluded.