A matching prior for extreme quantile estimation of the generalized Pareto distribution

Extreme quantile estimation plays an important role in risk management and environmental statistics among other applications. A popular method is the peaks-over-threshold (POT) model that approximate the distribution of excesses over a high threshold through generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). Motivated by a practical financial risk management problem, we look for an appropriate prior choice for Bayesian estimation of the GPD parameters that results in better quantile estimation. Specifically, we propose a noninformative matching prior for the parameters of a GPD so that a specific quantile of the Bayesian predictive distribution matches the true quantile in the sense of Datta et al. (2000).     

Random weighting-based quantile estimation via importance resampling

Abstract

This paper presents a new method to estimate the quantiles of generic statistics by combining the concept of random weighting with importance resampling. This method converts the problem of quantile estimation to a dual problem of tail probabilities estimation. Random weighting theories are established to calculate the optimal resampling weights for estimation of tail probabilities via sequential variance minimization. Subsequently, the quantile estimation is constructed by using the obtained optimal resampling weights. Experimental results on real and simulated data sets demonstrate that the proposed random weighting method can effectively estimate the quantiles of generic statistics.     

Nonparametric estimation of extreme conditional quantiles

The estimation of extreme conditional quantiles is an important issue in different scientific disciplines. Up to now, the extreme value literature focused mainly on estimation procedures based on independent and identically distributed samples. Our contribution is a two-step procedure for estimating extreme conditional quantiles. In a first step nonextreme conditional quantiles are estimated nonparametrically using a local version of [Koenker, R. and Bassett, G. (1978). Regression quantiles. Econometrica, 46, 33–50.] regression quantile methodology. Next, these nonparametric quantile estimates are used as analogues of univariate order statistics in procedures for extreme quantile estimation. The performance of the method is evaluated for both heavy tailed distributions and distributions with a finite right endpoint using a small sample simulation study. A bootstrap procedure is developed to guide in the selection of an optimal local bandwidth. Finally the procedure is illustrated in two case studies.     

Estimation of value-at-risk using single index quantile regression

ABSTRACT

Value-at-Risk (VaR) is one of the best known and most heavily used measures of financial risk. In this paper, we introduce a non-iterative semiparametric model for VaR estimation called the single index quantile regression time series (SIQRTS) model. To test its performance, we give an application to four major US market indices: the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 2000 Index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ Composite Index. Our results suggest that this method has a good finite sample performance and often outperforms a number of commonly used methods.     

E-Bayesian Estimation and Hierarchical Bayesian Estimation of Failure Probability

This article introduces a new parameter estimation method, named E-Bayesian estimation, to estimate failure probability. The method is suitable for the censored or truncated data with small sample sizes and high reliability. The definition, properties and related simulation study of the E-Bayesian estimation are given. A real data set is also discussed. Through the examples, the efficiency and easiness of operation of this method are commended.     

Estimation of the variance of an adaptive estimator by bootstrapping

In this paper we propose a bootstrap-based method to estimate the standard error of adaptive estimators. We apply it in the standard problem of location estimation discussed in Randies and Hogg (1973) and in Hogg and Lenth (1984). Our adaptive estimator is based on a choice between the mean the 35% trimmed mean and the median. Finally, we carry out a simulation study to see how well the proposed method performs in small and moderate sample sizes.     

A practical method for analysing heavy tailed data

An important practical issue of applying heavy tailed distributions is how to choose the sample fraction or threshold, since only a fraction of upper order statistics can be employed in the inference. Recently, Guillou & Hall ( 2001 ; Journal of Royal Statistical Society B, 63, 293–305) proposed a simple way to choose the threshold in estimating a tail index. In this article, the author first gives an intuitive explanation of the approach in Guillou & Hall ( 2001 ; it Journal of Royal Statistical Society B, 63, 293–305) and then proposes an alternative method, which can be extended to other settings like extreme value index estimation and tail dependence function estimation. Further the author proposes to combine this method for selecting a threshold with a bias reduction estimator to improve the performance of the tail index estimation, interval estimation of a tail index, and high quantile estimation. Simulation studies on both point estimation and interval estimation for a tail index show that both selection procedures are comparable and bias reduction estimation with the threshold selected by either method is preferred. The Canadian Journal of Statistics © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada     

Change PP plot and continous sample quantile function

Functional inference recommends data analysis of a sample of n observations by functional and graphical representations of its probability models using various functions on 0 < u < 1, including the quantile function. This paper discusses: charge PP plots and a continuous version of the sample quantile function which use the mid-distinct value probability integral transform; comparison density functions; comparison interpretation of probability integral transform; maximum spacings method of one sample parameter estimation.     

Non‐parametric Estimation of Extreme Risk Measures from Conditional Heavy‐tailed Distributions

In this paper, we introduce a new risk measure, the so‐called conditional tail moment. It is defined as the moment of order a ≥ 0 of the loss distribution above the upper α‐quantile where α ∈ (0,1). Estimating the conditional tail moment permits us to estimate all risk measures based on conditional moments such as conditional tail expectation, conditional value at risk or conditional tail variance. Here, we focus on the estimation of these risk measures in case of extreme losses (where α ↓0 is no longer fixed). It is moreover assumed that the loss distribution is heavy tailed and depends on a covariate. The estimation method thus combines non‐parametric kernel methods with extreme‐value statistics. The asymptotic distribution of the estimators is established, and their finite‐sample behaviour is illustrated both on simulated data and on a real data set of daily rainfalls.     

Quantile regression estimation of partially linear additive models

In this paper, we consider the estimation of partially linear additive quantile regression models where the conditional quantile function comprises a linear parametric component and a nonparametric additive component. We propose a two-step estimation approach: in the first step, we approximate the conditional quantile function using a series estimation method. In the second step, the nonparametric additive component is recovered using either a local polynomial estimator or a weighted Nadaraya–Watson estimator. Both consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators are established. Particularly, we show that the first-stage estimator for the finite-dimensional parameters attains the semiparametric efficiency bound under homoskedasticity, and that the second-stage estimators for the nonparametric additive component have an oracle efficiency property. Monte Carlo experiments are conducted to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators. An application to a real data set is also illustrated.     

Adaptive Warped Kernel Estimators

In this work, we develop a method of adaptive non‐parametric estimation, based on ‘warped’ kernels. The aim is to estimate a real‐valued function s from a sample of random couples (X,Y). We deal with transformed data (Φ(X),Y), with Φ a one‐to‐one function, to build a collection of kernel estimators. The data‐driven bandwidth selection is performed with a method inspired by Goldenshluger and Lepski (Ann. Statist., 39, 2011, 1608). The method permits to handle various problems such as additive and multiplicative regression, conditional density estimation, hazard rate estimation based on randomly right‐censored data, and cumulative distribution function estimation from current‐status data. The interest is threefold. First, the squared‐bias/variance trade‐off is automatically realized. Next, non‐asymptotic risk bounds are derived. Lastly, the estimator is easily computed, thanks to its simple expression: a short simulation study is presented.     

A low-end quantile estimator from a right-skewed distribution

ABSTRACT

In many statistical applications estimation of population quantiles is desired. In this study, a log–flip–robust (LFR) approach is proposed to estimate, specifically, lower-end quantiles (those below the median) from a continuous, positive, right-skewed distribution. Characteristics of common right-skewed distributions suggest that a logarithm transformation (L) followed by flipping the lower half of the sample (F) allows for the estimation of the lower-end quantile using robust methods (R) based on symmetric populations. Simulations show that this approach is superior in many cases to current methods, while not suffering from the sample size restrictions of other approaches.     

Bias reduction for high quantiles

High quantile estimation is of importance in risk management. For a heavy-tailed distribution, estimating a high quantile is done via estimating the tail index. Reducing the bias in a tail index estimator can be achieved by using either the same order or a larger order of number of the upper order statistics in comparison with the theoretical optimal one in the classical tail index estimator. For the second approach, one can either estimate all parameters simultaneously or estimate the first and second order parameters separately. Recently, the first method and the second method via external estimators for the second order parameter have been applied to reduce the bias in high quantile estimation. Theoretically, the second method obviously gives rise to a smaller order of asymptotic mean squared error than the first one. In this paper we study the second method with simultaneous estimation of all parameters for reducing bias in high quantile estimation.     

Lessons From Quantile Panel Estimation of the Environmental Kuznets Curve

We employ quantile regression fixed effects models to estimate the income-pollution relationship on NO _x (nitrogen oxide) and SO ₂ (sulfur dioxide) using U.S. data. Conditional median results suggest that conditional mean methods provide too optimistic estimates about emissions reduction for NO _x , while the opposite is found for SO ₂. Deleting outlier states reverses the absence of a turning point for SO ₂ in the conditional mean model, while the conditional median model is robust to them. We also document the relationship's sensitivity to including additional covariates for NO _x , and undertake simulations to shed light on some estimation issues of the methods employed.     

An efficient model-free estimation of multiclass conditional probability

Conventional multiclass conditional probability estimation methods, such as Fisher's discriminate analysis and logistic regression, often require restrictive distributional model assumption. In this paper, a model-free estimation method is proposed to estimate multiclass conditional probability through a series of conditional quantile regression functions. Specifically, the conditional class probability is formulated as a difference of corresponding cumulative distribution functions, where the cumulative distribution functions can be converted from the estimated conditional quantile regression functions. The proposed estimation method is also efficient as its computation cost does not increase exponentially with the number of classes. The theoretical and numerical studies demonstrate that the proposed estimation method is highly competitive against the existing competitors, especially when the number of classes is relatively large.     

Random Weighting Estimation for Quantile Processes and Negatively Associated Samples

This article presents new theories of random weighting estimation for quantile processes and negatively associated samples. Under the condition that X ₁, X ₂,…, X _n are independent random variables with a common distribution, the consistency for random weighting estimation of quantile processes is rigorously proved. When X ₁, X ₂,…, X _n are not independent of each other, random weighting estimation of sample mean is established for negatively associated samples.     

A simple approach to the estimation of Tukey's gh distribution

ABSTRACT

The Tukey's gh distribution is widely used in situations where skewness and elongation are important features of the data. As the distribution is defined through a quantile transformation of the normal, the likelihood function cannot be written in closed form and exact maximum likelihood estimation is unfeasible. In this paper we exploit a novel approach based on a frequentist reinterpretation of Approximate Bayesian Computation for approximating the maximum likelihood estimates of the gh distribution. This method is appealing because it only requires the ability to sample the distribution. We discuss the choice of the input parameters by means of simulation experiments and provide evidence of superior performance in terms of Root-Mean-Square-Error with respect to the standard quantile estimator. Finally, we give an application to operational risk measurement.     

An Investigation of Quantile Function Estimators Relative to Quantile Confidence Interval Coverage

In this article, we investigate the limitations of traditional quantile function estimators and introduce a new class of quantile function estimators, namely, the semi-parametric tail-extrapolated quantile estimators, which has excellent performance for estimating the extreme tails with finite sample sizes. The smoothed bootstrap and direct density estimation via the characteristic function methods are developed for the estimation of confidence intervals. Through a comprehensive simulation study to compare the confidence interval estimations of various quantile estimators, we discuss the preferred quantile estimator in conjunction with the confidence interval estimation method to use under different circumstances. Data examples are given to illustrate the superiority of the semi-parametric tail-extrapolated quantile estimators. The new class of quantile estimators is obtained by slight modification of traditional quantile estimators, and therefore, should be specifically appealing to researchers in estimating the extreme tails.     

Testing the adequacy of a linear model VIA critical smoothing

An important problem for fitting local linear regression is the choice of the smoothing parameter. As the smoothing parameter becomes large, the estimator tends to a straight line, which is the least squares fit in the ordinary linear regression setting. This property may be used to assess the adequacy of a simple linear model. Motivated by Silverman's (1981) work in kernel density estimation, a suitable test statistic is the critical smoothing parameter where the estimate changes from nonlinear to linear, while linearity or non- linearity requires a more precise judgment. We define the critical smoothing parameter through the approximate F-tests by Hastie and Tibshirani (1990). To assess the significance, the “wild bootstrap” procedure is used to replicate the data and the proportion of bootstrap samples which give a nonlinear estimate when using the critical bandwidth is obtained as the p-value. Simulation results show that the critical smoothing test is useful in detecting a wide range of alternatives.     

Distribution estimation with auxiliary information for missing data

There is much literature on statistical inference for distribution under missing data, but surprisingly very little previous attention has been paid to missing data in the context of estimating distribution with auxiliary information. In this article, the auxiliary information with missing data is proposed. We use Zhou, Wan and Wang's method (2008) to mitigate the effects of missing data through a reformulation of the estimating equations, imputed through a semi-parametric procedure. Whence we can estimate distribution and the τth quantile of the distribution by taking auxiliary information into account. Asymptotic properties of the distribution estimator and corresponding sample quantile are derived and analyzed. The distribution estimators based on our method are found to significantly outperform the corresponding estimators without auxiliary information. Some simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators.