Optimal bid-ask price strategies

Economic analysis has begun to focus on the implications of transaction costs to trading in capital assets. Specifically, the economics of market making and the price of liquidity has received considerable attention. This paper formulates the market maker's bid-ask price decision as a semi-Markov decision process with the reward being a function of expected return and risk. Risk is intimately related to dealer inventory and hence the solution of the analysis specifies bid-ask price strategies which are inventory dependent. Numerical examples indicate the market maker's optimal bid-ask prices will tilt around the ‘assets’ equilibrium price to control inventory as well as influence expected profit.     

Predictors of retention in an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention study

This article explored retention patterns, as well as factors that predicted these patterns, in the evaluation of a relationship-based substance abuse prevention intervention study that targeted inner-city African American youth. A total of 851 contacts were made to retain 82% (n = 104) of the baseline sample (N = 127) in the evaluation. Results from multinomial regression analyses indicated that participants who were retained in the evaluation were more likely to perceive alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use as less risky and were more likely to report higher levels of family supervision than were evaluation attrits. Those who were easy to retain reported lower family conflict and fewer family relocations during the past year than those who were difficult to retain. Implications of these findings for developing retention strategies, as well as future research, are discussed.     

Sliced inverse regression under linear constraints

We consider the semiparametric regression model introduced by Li (1991) and add to this model some linear constraints on the slope parameters. These constraints can be identifiability conditions or they may carry additional in¬formations on the slope parameters. Using a geometric argument, we develop a method to estimate the slope parameters. This link-free and distribution-free method splits in two steps: the first is a Sliced Inverse Regression (SIR); Canonical Analysis is used at the second step to transform the SIR estimates so that they satisfy the constraints. We establish yn-consistency and obtain the asymptotic distribution of the estimates.

This estimation method is applied to the general sample selection model which is very useful in Econometrics. A simulation study shows that the method performs well in the example considered.     

Estimation of Current-Quarter Gross National Product by Pooling Preliminary Labor-Market Data

Two methods of using labor-market data as indicators of contemporaneous gross national product (GNP) are developed. The establishment survey data are used by inverting a partial-adjustment equation for hours. A second GNP forecast can be extracted from the household survey by using Okun's law. Using preliminary rather than final data adds about .2 to .4 percentage point to the expected value of the root mean squared errors and changes the weights that the pooling procedure assigns to the two forecasts. The use of preliminary rather than final data results in a procedure that assigns more importance to the Okun's-law forecast.     

Correlation-Type Goodness of Fit Test for Extreme Value Distribution Based on Simultaneous Closeness

In reliability studies, one typically would assume a lifetime distribution for the units under study and then carry out the required analysis. One popular choice for the lifetime distribution is the family of two-parameter Weibull distributions (with scale and shape parameters) which, through a logarithmic transformation, can be transformed to the family of two-parameter extreme value distributions (with location and scale parameters). In carrying out a parametric analysis of this type, it is highly desirable to be able to test the validity of such a model assumption. A basic tool that is useful for this purpose is a quantile–quantile (QQ) plot, but in its use, the issue of the choice of plotting position arises. Here, by adopting the optimal plotting points based on Pitman closeness criterion proposed recently by Balakrishnan et al. (2010b Balakrishnan , N. , Davies , K. F. , Keating , J. P. , Mason , R. L. ( 2010b ). Computation of optimal plotting points based on Pitman Closeness with an application to goodness of fit for location-scale families. Submitted to Computational Statistics & Data Analysis.  [Google Scholar]), and referred to as simultaneous closeness probability (SCP) plotting points, we propose a correlation-type goodness of fit test for the extreme value distribution. We compute the SCP plotting points for various sample sizes and use them to determine the mean, standard deviation and critical values for the proposed correlation-type test statistic. Using these critical values, we carry out a power study, similar to the one carried out by Kinnison (1989 Kinnison , R. ( 1989 ). Correlation coefficient goodness of fit test for extreme value distribution . The American Statistician 43 : 98 – 100 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), through which we demonstrate that the use of SCP plotting points results in better power than with the use of mean ranks as plotting points and nearly the same power as with the use of median ranks. We then demonstrate the use of the SCP plotting points and the associated correlation-type test for Weibull analysis with an illustrative example. Finally, for the sake of comparison, we also adapt two statistics proposed by Gan and Koehler (1990 Gan , F. F. , Koehler , K. J. ( 1990 ). Goodness of fit based on P-P probability plots . Technometrics 32 : 289 – 303 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), in the context of probability–probability (PP) plots, based on SCP plotting points and compare their performance to those based on mean ranks. The empirical study also reveals that the tests from the QQ plot have better power than those from the PP plot.     

Resilience and risk competence in schools: theory/knowledge and international application in project rebound

Despite a 50-year interdisciplinary and longitudinal research legacy--showing that nearly 80% of young people considered most "at risk" thrive by midlife-only recently have practitioners/researchers engaged in the explicit, prospective facilitation of "resilience" in educational settings. Here, theory/knowledge distinguishing and extending risk and resilience from its risk-based social history to resilience's normative occurrence leads to the first known international and prospective application of resilience in school-based drug education, Project REBOUND [resilience-bound]. It will be implemented as a controlled pilot study, first in Germany, then expand to the United States, as well as other parts of Europe. With evaluation occurring throughout, the goal is to enhance the quality of drug decisions among young people, as well as support their overall competence-based learning and development throughout school. With limitations and underlying psychological mechanisms discussed, it is concluded Project REBOUND offers promising potential for supporting positive drug decisions as well as youth learning and development.     

Work-family conflict in comparative perspective: The role of social policies

This study focuses on the role of social policies in mitigating work-family incompatibilities in 27 countries. We ask whether work-family conflict is reduced in countries that provide family-friendly policies and flexible employment arrangements, and whether women and men are similarly affected by such policies. The study, based on the ISSP 2002, demonstrates considerable variation among countries in the perceived work-family conflict. In all but two countries, women report higher levels of conflict than men. At the individual level, working hours, the presence of children and work characteristics affect the perception of conflict. At the macro level, childcare availability and to a certain extent maternity leave reduce women's and men's sense of conflict. Additionally, the availability of childcare facilities alleviates the adverse effect of children on work-family balance for mothers while flexible job arrangements intensify this effect.     

Citizen Support for Hospital Privatization: A Hierarchical Cross-National Analysis

The movement for a new public management (NPM) holds that citizens will put aside partisan and ideological differences to support more efficient service delivery. Focusing on hospital privatization, a multi-national sample is utilized to investigate this assertion. Generalized hierarchical linear modeling (GHLM) is employed as the method of statistical analysis. The findings with regard to privatizing hospitals reveal that citizens develop their policy position by reference to a combination of symbolic political variables, service demand, self-interest, information levels, and political efficacy. The results cast doubt on the assertion that partisan differences will be set aside as citizens consider privatization reforms.