A note on testing for nonstationarity in autoregressive processes with level dependent conditional heteroskedasticity

In this paper, we investigate the empirical distribution and the statistical properties of maximum likelihood (ML) unit-root t-statistics computed from data sampled from a first-order autoregressive (AR) process with level-dependent conditional heteroskedasticity (LDCH). This issue is of particular importance for applications on interest rate time-series. Unfortunately, the extent of the technical complexity related associated to LDCH patterns does not offer a feasible theoretical analysis, and there is no formal knowledge about the finite-sample size and power behaviour or the ML test for this context. Our analysis provides valuable guidelines for applied work and directions for future work.     

The effect of non-normal disturbances and conditional heteroskedasticity on multiple cointegration tests

!t is well-known that Johansen's multiple cointegration tests' results and those of Johansen and Juselius' tests for restricrions on cointegrating vectors and their weights have far-reaching implications for economic modelling and analysis. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the tests have desirable finite sample properties. Although the statistics are derived under Gaussian distribution,the asympotic results are derived under a much wider class of distributions. Using simulation, this paper investigates the effect of non-normal disturbances on these tests in finite samples. Further, ARCH/GARCH type conditional heteroskedasticity is present in many economic and financial time series. This paper examines the finite properties of the tests when the error term follows ARCH/GARCH type processes. From the evidence, it appears that researchers should not be overly concerned by the possibility of small departures from non-normality when using Johansen's suggested techniques even in finite samples. ARCH and GARCH effects may be more problematic, however. In particular it becomes more important ro test whether the restriction implicit in the integrated (or near-integrated) ARCH-type Drocess actually holds in time series for the application of the cointegraiion rank tests and the test for restrictions on cointegrating weights. The tests for restrictions on cointegrating vectors apper to be robust for non-normal errors and for all ARCH and GARCH type processes considered.     

Small sample equivalence tests for exponentiality

We consider small sample equivalence tests for exponentialy. Statistical inference in this setting is particularly challenging since equivalence testing procedures typically require much larger sample sizes, in comparison with classical “difference tests,” to perform well. We make use of Butler's marginal likelihood for the shape parameter of a gamma distribution in our development of small sample equivalence tests for exponentiality. We consider two procedures using the principle of confidence interval inclusion, four Bayesian methods, and the uniformly most powerful unbiased (UMPU) test where a saddlepoint approximation to the intractable distribution of a canonical sufficient statistic is used. We perform small sample simulation studies to assess the bias of our various tests and show that all of the Bayes posteriors we consider are integrable. Our simulation studies show that the saddlepoint-approximated UMPU method performs remarkably well for small sample sizes and is the only method that consistently exhibits an empirical significance level close to the nominal 5% level.     

Small sample behavior of a robust heteroskedasticity consistent covariance matrix estimator

In heteroskedastic regression models, the least squares (OLS) covariance matrix estimator is inconsistent and inference is not reliable. To deal with inconsistency one can estimate the regression coefficients by OLS, and then implement a heteroskedasticity consistent covariance matrix (HCCM) estimator. Unfortunately the HCCM estimator is biased. The bias is reduced by implementing a robust regression, and by using the robust residuals to compute the HCCM estimator (RHCCM). A Monte-Carlo study analyzes the behavior of RHCCM and of other HCCM estimators, in the presence of systematic and random heteroskedasticity, and of outliers in the explanatory variables.     

Efficient score tests for heteroskedasticity in micro-economics

Kruskal's theorem is used to provide simple and elegant alternative derivations of the efficiency of some two step estimators (2SE) for models containing anticipated and unanticipated variables. Several new results are established: 2SE is not efficient for a structural equation with current and lagged values of both anticipated and unanticipated variables; 2SE is always efficient for the parameter associated with the current unanticipated variable, and for the parameter associated with the lagged unanticipated variable if there is no lagged dependent variable in the expectations equation; the inclusion of additional regressors in the structural equation and contemporaneous correlation of the structural and expectations errors can both be analysed in a straightforward manner; the single-equation generalized least squares estimator can be as efficient as the systems maximum likelihood estimator.     

Efficient score tests for heteroskedasticity in micro-economics

This paper develops an artificial regression that can be employed to obtain efficient score test statistics for heteroskedasticity in the context of a variety of micro-econometric models     

Small sample performance of large sample tests for tobit versus p -tobit

Large sample tests for the standard To bit model versus the ^p -Tobit model by Deaton and Irish (1984) are studied. The normalized one-tailed score test by Deaton and Irish (1984) is shown to be a version of Neyman's C(α) test that is valid for the non-standard problem of the null hypothesis lying on the boundary of the parameter space. Then, this paper reports the results of Monte Carlo experiments designed to study the small sample performance of large sample tests for the standard Tobit specification versus the ^p -Tobit specification.     

Efficient estimation for the conditional autoregressive model

Recently, spatial regression models have been attracting a great deal of attention in areas ranging from effect of traffic congestion on accident rates to the analysis of trends in gastric cancer mortality. In this paper, we propose efficient estimators for the regression coefficients of the spatial conditional autoregressive model, when uncertain auxiliary information is available about these coefficients. We provide efficiency comparisons of the proposed estimators based on asymptotic risk analysis and Monte Carlo simulations. We apply the proposed methods to real data on Boston housing prices and illustrate how a bootstrapping approach can be employed to compute prediction errors of the estimators.     

A test for the presence of conditional heteroskedasticity within arch-m framework

This paper is concerned with testing the presence of ARCH within the ARCH-M model as the alternative hypothesis. Standard testing procedures are inapplicable since a nuisance parameter is unidentified under the null hypothesis. Nonetheless, the diagnostic tests for the presence of the conditional variance is very important since any misspecification in the conditional variance equation leads to inconsistent estimates of the conditional mean parameters. BTo resolve the problem of unidentified nuisance parameter, ‘Ne apply Davies’ approach, and investigate its finite sample performance through a Monte Carlo study.     

A test for the presence of conditional heteroskedasticity within arch-m framework

This paper is concerned with testing the presence of ARCH within the ARCH-M model as the alternative hypothesis. Standard testing procedures are inapplicable since a nuisance parameter is unidentified under the null hypothesis. Nonetheless, the diagnostic tests for the presence of the conditional variance is very important since any misspecification in the conditional variance equation leads to inconsistent estimates of the conditional mean parameters. BTo resolve the problem of unidentified nuisance parameter, 'Ne apply Davies' approach, and investigate its finite sample performance through a Monte Carlo study.     

Small sample power of multivariate nonparametric tests for monotone trend

Bhattacharyya and Kioiz (1966) propose two multivariate nonparametric tests for monotone trend, one involving coordinate-wise Mann statistics and the other, coordinate-wise Spearman statistics. Dietz and Killeen (1981) propose a different test statistic based on coordinate-wise Mann statistics. The Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency of all three tests with respect to a normal theory competitor equals the cube root of the efficiency of a multivariate signed rank test with respect to Hotelling's T2. In this article, the small sample power of the nonparametric tests, the normal theory test, and a Bonferroni approach involving coordinate-wise univariate Mann or Spearman tests is examined in a simulation study. The Mann statistic of Dietz and Killeen and the Spearman statistic of Bhattacharyya and Klotz are found to perform well under both null and alternative hypotheses     

Performance of control charts for autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic processes

This paper examines the robustness of control schemes to data conditional heteroscedasticity. Overall, the results show that the control schemes which do not account for heteroscedasticity fail in providing reliable information on the status of the process. Consequently, incorrect conclusions will be drawn by applying these procedures in the presence of data conditional heteroscedasticity. Control charts with time-varying control limits are shown to be useful in that context.     

Nonparametric tests for conditional independence using conditional distributions

The concept of causality is naturally defined in terms of conditional distribution, however almost all the empirical works focus on causality in mean. This paper aims to propose a nonparametric statistic to test the conditional independence and Granger non-causality between two variables conditionally on another one. The test statistic is based on the comparison of conditional distribution functions using an L₂ metric. We use Nadaraya–Watson method to estimate the conditional distribution functions. We establish the asymptotic size and power properties of the test statistic and we motivate the validity of the local bootstrap. We ran a simulation experiment to investigate the finite sample properties of the test and we illustrate its practical relevance by examining the Granger non-causality between S&P 500 Index returns and VIX volatility index. Contrary to the conventional t-test which is based on a linear mean-regression, we find that VIX index predicts excess returns both at short and long horizons.     

The effect of conditional heteroskedasticity on common statistical procedures for means and variances

Summary: Commonly used standard statistical procedures for means and variances (such as the t–test for means or the F–test for variances and related confidence procedures) require observations from independent and identically normally distributed variables. These procedures are often routinely applied to financial data, such as asset or currency returns, which do not share these properties. Instead, they are nonnormal and show conditional heteroskedasticity, hence they are dependent. We investigate the effect of conditional heteroskedasticity (as modelled by GARCH(1,1)) on the level of these tests and the coverage probability of the related confidence procedures. It can be seen that conditional heteroskedasticity has no effect on procedures for means (at least in large samples). There is, however, a strong effect of conditional heteroskedasticity on procedures for variances. These procedures should therefore not be used if conditional heteroskedasticity is prevalent in the data.*We are grateful to the referees for their useful and constructive comments.     

Small sample size comparisons of tests for homogeneity of variances by Monte-Carlo

A number of tests are available for testing the equality of several population variances. Some are claimed to be robust. We compared six of those claimed robust procedures by Monte Carlo simulated experiments, particularly for cases of small and unequal sample sizes. Our results show that the jack-knife test compares favorably with the other tests.     

A spatially adaptive conditional autoregressive prior for area health data

Different priors have been suggested to reflect spatial dependence in area health outcomes or in spatial regression residuals. However, to assume that residuals demonstrate spatial clustering only is a strong prior belief and alternatives have been suggested. A scheme suggested by Leroux et al. [B. Leroux, X. Lei, N. Breslow, Estimation of disease rates in small areas: A new mixed model for spatial dependence, in: M. Halloran, D. Berry (Eds.), Statistical Models in Epidemiology, the Environment and Clinical Trials, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1999, pp. 135–178] involves a single set of random effects and a spatial correlation parameter with extreme values corresponding to pure spatial and pure unstructured residual variation. This paper considers a spatially adaptive extension of that prior to reflect the fact that the appropriate mix between local and global smoothing may not be constant across the region being studied. Local smoothing will not be indicated when an area is disparate from its neighbours (e.g. in terms of social or environmental risk factors for the health outcome being considered). The prior for varying spatial correlation parameters may be based on a regression structure which includes possible observed sources of disparity between neighbours. A case study considers probabilities of long term illness in 133 small areas in NE London, with disparities based on a measure of socio-economic deprivation.     

Small sample properties of tests on homogeneity in one—way Anova and Meta—analysis

Received: January 12, 2000; revised version: July 26, 2000     

A small sample confidence interval for autoregressive parameters

This paper is concerned with interval estimation of an autoregressive parameter when the parameter space allows for magnitudes outside the unit interval. In this case, intervals based on the least-squares estimator tend to require a high level of numerical computation and can be unreliable for small sample sizes. Intervals based on the asymptotic distribution of instrumental variable estimators provide an alternative. If the instrument is taken to be the sign function, the interval is centered at the Cauchy estimator and a large sample interval can be created by estimating the standard error of this estimator. The interval proposed in this paper avoids estimating this standard error and results in a small sample improvement in coverage probability. In fact, small sample coverage is exact when the innovations come from a normal distribution.