A note on non‐parametric testing for Gaussian innovations in AR–ARCH models

In this paper, we consider autoregressive models with conditional autoregressive variance, including the case of homoscedastic AR models and the case of ARCH models. Our aim is to test the hypothesis of normality for the innovations in a completely non‐parametric way, that is, without imposing parametric assumptions on the conditional mean and volatility functions. To this end, the Cramér–von Mises test based on the empirical distribution function of non‐parametrically estimated residuals is shown to be asymptotically distribution‐free. We demonstrate its good performance for finite sample sizes in a small simulation study. AMS 2010 Classification: Primary 62 M10, Secondary 62 G10     

Empirical likelihood intervals for conditional Value‐at‐Risk in ARCH/GARCH models

Value‐at‐Risk (VaR) is a simple, but useful measure in risk management. When some volatility model is employed, conditional VaR is of importance. As autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (ARCH) and generalized ARCH (GARCH) models are widely used in modelling volatilities, in this article, we propose empirical likelihood methods to obtain an interval estimation for the conditional VaR with the volatility model being an ARCH/GARCH model.     

Likelihood inference for discriminating between long‐memory and change‐point models

We develop a likelihood ratio (LR) test procedure for discriminating between a short‐memory time series with a change‐point (CP) and a long‐memory (LM) time series. Under the null hypothesis, the time series consists of two segments of short‐memory time series with different means and possibly different covariance functions. The location of the shift in the mean is unknown. Under the alternative, the time series has no shift in mean but rather is LM. The LR statistic is defined as the normalized log‐ratio of the Whittle likelihood between the CP model and the LM model, which is asymptotically normally distributed under the null. The LR test provides a parametric alternative to the CUSUM test proposed by Berkes et al. (2006) . Moreover, the LR test is more general than the CUSUM test in the sense that it is applicable to changes in other marginal or dependence features other than a change‐in‐mean. We show its good performance in simulations and apply it to two data examples.     

Wavelet change‐point estimation for long memory non‐parametric random design models

For a random design regression model with long memory design and long memory errors, we consider the problem of detecting a change point for sharp cusp or jump discontinuity in the regression function. Using the wavelet methods, we obtain estimators for the change point, the jump size and the regression function. The strong consistencies of these estimators are given in terms of convergence rates.     

Likelihood functions for state space models with diffuse initial conditions

State space models with non‐stationary processes and/or fixed regression effects require a state vector with diffuse initial conditions. Different likelihood functions can be adopted for the estimation of parameters in time‐series models with diffuse initial conditions. In this article, we consider profile, diffuse and marginal likelihood functions. The marginal likelihood function is defined as the likelihood function of a transformation of the data vector. The transformation is not unique. The diffuse likelihood is a marginal likelihood for a data transformation that may depend on parameters. Therefore, the diffuse likelihood cannot be used generally for parameter estimation. The marginal likelihood function is based on an orthonormal data transformation that does not depend on parameters. Here we develop a marginal likelihood function for state space models that can be evaluated by the Kalman filter. The so‐called diffuse Kalman filter is designed for computing the diffuse likelihood function. We show that a minor modification of the diffuse Kalman filter is needed for the evaluation of our marginal likelihood function. Diffuse and marginal likelihood functions have better small sample properties compared with the profile likelihood function for the estimation of parameters in linear time series models. The results in our article confirm the earlier findings and show that the diffuse likelihood function is not appropriate for a range of state space model specifications.     

On Local Trigonometric Regression Under Dependence

We consider nonparametric estimation of an additive time series decomposition into a long‐term trend μ and a smoothly changing seasonal component S under general assumptions on the dependence structure of the residual process. The rate of convergence of local trigonometric regression estimators of S turns out to be unaffected by the dependence, even though the spectral density of the residual process has a pole at the origin. In contrast, the rate of convergence of nonparametric estimators of μ depends on the long‐memory parameter d. Therefore, in the presence of long‐range dependence, different bandwidths for estimating μ and S should be used. A data adaptive algorithm for optimal bandwidth choice is proposed. Simulations and data examples illustrate the results.     

Estimation and testing for the parameters of ARCH(q) under ordered restriction

Abstract.  In this paper, we study a stationary ARCH( q ) model with parameters α ₀, α ₁, α ₂,…, α _q . It is known that the model requires all parameters α _i to be non-negative, but sometimes the usual algorithm based on Newton–Raphson's method leads us to obtain some negative solutions. So this study proposes a method of computing the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of parameters under the non-negative restriction. A similar method is also proposed for the case where the parameters are restricted by a simple order: α ₁≥ α ₂≥⋯≥ α _p . The strong consistency of the above two estimators is discussed. Furthermore, we consider the problem of testing homogeneity of parameters against the simple order restriction. We give the likelihood ratio (LR) test statistic for the testing problem and derive its asymptotic null distribution.     

Time‐varying multi‐regime models fitting by genetic algorithms

Many time series exhibit both nonlinearity and non‐stationarity. Though both features have been often taken into account separately, few attempts have been proposed for modelling them simultaneously. We consider threshold models, and present a general model allowing for different regimes both in time and in levels, where regime transitions may happen according to self‐exciting, or smoothly varying or piecewise linear threshold modelling. Since fitting such a model involves the choice of a large number of structural parameters, we propose a procedure based on genetic algorithms, evaluating models by means of a generalized identification criterion. The performance of the proposed procedure is illustrated with a simulation study and applications to some real data.     

Minimum α‐divergence estimation for arch models

Abstract. This paper considers a minimum α‐divergence estimation for a class of ARCH(p) models. For these models with unknown volatility parameters, the exact form of the innovation density is supposed to be unknown in detail but is thought to be close to members of some parametric family. To approximate such a density, we first construct an estimator for the unknown volatility parameters using the conditional least squares estimator given by Tjøstheim [Stochastic processes and their applications (1986) Vol. 21, pp. 251–273]. Then, a nonparametric kernel density estimator is constructed for the innovation density based on the estimated residuals. Using techniques of the minimum Hellinger distance estimation for stochastic models and residual empirical process from an ARCH(p) model given by Beran [Annals of Statistics (1977) Vol. 5, pp. 445–463] and Lee and Taniguchi [Statistica Sinica (2005) Vol. 15, pp. 215–234] respectively, it is shown that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal. Moreover, a robustness measure for the score of the estimator is introduced. The asymptotic efficiency and robustness of the estimator are illustrated by simulations. The proposed estimator is also applied to daily stock returns of Dell Corporation.     

Weighted scatter estimation method of the GO‐GARCH models

We propose a new estimation method for the factor loading matrix in modelling multivariate volatility processes. The key step of the method is based on the weighted scatter estimators, which does not involve optimizing any objective function. The method can therefore be easily applied to high‐dimensional systems without running into computational problems. The estimation is proved to be consistent and the asymptotic distribution is derived. The method inherits robust properties in dealing with ‘outlier’ clusters generated by GARCH processes. Through both simulation and real‐world case studies, we show that the method works well.     

Local asymptotic normality and efficient estimation for INAR(p) models

Abstract. Integer‐valued autoregressive (INAR) processes have been introduced to model non‐negative integer‐valued phenomena that evolve in time. The distribution of an INAR(p) process is determined by two parameters: a vector of survival probabilities and a probability distribution on the non‐negative integers, called an immigration distribution. This paper provides an efficient estimator of the parameters, and in particular, shows that the INAR(p) model has the Local Asymptotic Normality property.     

Estimation of regression and dynamic dependence paremeters for non‐stationary multinomial time series

In a time‐series regression setup, multinomial responses along with time dependent observable covariates are usually modelled by certain suitable dynamic multinomial logistic probabilities. Frequently, the time‐dependent covariates are treated as a realization of an exogenous random process and one is interested in the estimation of both the regression and the dynamic dependence parameters conditional on this realization of the covariate process. There exists a partial likelihood estimation approach able to deal with the general dependence structures arising from the influence of both past covariates and past multinomial responses on the covariates at a given time by sequentially conditioning on the history of the joint process (response and covariates), but it provides standard errors for the estimators based on the observed information matrix, because such a matrix happens to be the Fisher information matrix obtained by conditioning on the whole history of the joint process. This limitation of the partial likelihood approach holds even if the covariate history is not influeced by lagged response outcomes. In this article, a general formulation of the auto‐covariance structure of a multinomial time series is presented and used to derive an explicit expression for the Fisher information matrix conditional on the covariate history, providing the possibility of computing the variance of the maximum likelihood estimators given a realization of the covariate process for the multinomial‐logistic model. The difference between the standard errors of the parameter estimators under these two conditioning schemes (covariates Vs. joint history) is illustrated through an intensive simulation study based on the premise of an exogenous covariate process.     

Stationary bootstrapping for non‐parametric estimator of nonlinear autoregressive model

We consider stationary bootstrap approximation of the non‐parametric kernel estimator in a general kth‐order nonlinear autoregressive model under the conditions ensuring that the nonlinear autoregressive process is a geometrically Harris ergodic stationary Markov process. We show that the stationary bootstrap procedure properly estimates the distribution of the non‐parametric kernel estimator. A simulation study is provided to illustrate the theory and to construct confidence intervals, which compares the proposed method favorably with some other bootstrap methods.     

SEMI‐PARAMETRIC ESTIMATION OF LINEAR COINTEGRATING MODELS WITH NONLINEAR CONTEMPORANEOUS ENDOGENEITY

This article considers linear cointegrating models with unknown nonlinear short‐run contemporaneous endogeneity. Two estimators are proposed to estimate the linear cointegrating parameter after the nonlinear endogenous component is estimated by local linear regression approach. Both the proposed estimators are shown to have the same mixed normal limiting distribution with zero mean and smaller asymptotic variance than the fully modified ordinary least squares and instrumental variables estimators. Monte Carlo simulations are used to evaluate the finite sample performance of our proposed estimators, and an empirical application is also included.     

On Asymptotic Theory for ARCH (∞) Models

Autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH)() models nest a wide range of ARCH and generalized ARCH models including models with long memory in volatility. Existing work assumes the existence of second moments. However, the fractionally integrated generalized ARCH model, one version of a long memory in volatility model, does not have finite second moments and rarely satisfies the moment conditions of the existing literature. This article weakens the moment assumptions of a general ARCH( ) class of models and develops the theory for consistency and asymptotic normality of the quasi‐maximum likelihood estimator.     

The sampling properties of conditional independence graphs for I(1) structural VAR models

Abstract. Structural vector autoregressions allow dependence among contemporaneous variables. If such models have a recursive structure, the relationships among the variables can be represented by directed acyclic graphs. The identification of these relationships for stationary series may be enabled by the examination of the conditional independence graph constructed from sample partial autocorrelations of the observed series. In this article, we extend this approach to the case when the series follows an I(1) vector autoregression. For such a model, estimated regression coefficients may have non‐standard asymptotic distributions and in small samples this affects the distribution of sample partial autocorrelations. We show that, nevertheless, in large samples, exactly the same inference procedures may be applied as in the stationary case.     

Local hydrodynamic parameters of bubble column reactors operating with non‐Newtonian liquids: Experiments and models development

The effects of liquid phase rheology on the local hydrodynamics of bubble column reactors operating with non‐Newtonian liquids are investigated. Local bubble properties, including bubble frequency, bubble chord length, and bubble rise velocity, are measured by placing two in‐house made optical fiber probes at various locations within a bubble column reactor operating with different non‐Newtonian liquids. It was found that the presence of elasticity can noticeably increase the bubble frequency but decreases the bubble chord length and its rise velocity. The radial profiles of bubble frequency, bubble chord length, and bubble rise velocity are shown to be relatively flat at low superficial gas velocity while they become parabolic at high superficial gas velocity. Moreover, the bubble size and gas holdup are correlated with respect to dimensionless groups by considering the ratio between dynamic moduli of viscoelastic liquids. The novel proposed correlations are capable of predicting the experimental data of bubble size and gas holdup within a mean absolute percentage error of 9.3% and 10%, respectively. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1382–1396, 2016     

Nonlinear ARMA models with functional MA coefficients

Abstract. In the present article, we propose and study a new class of nonlinear autoregressive moving‐average (ARMA) models, in which each moving‐average (MA) coefficient is enlarged to an arbitrary univariate function. We first provide a sufficient condition for the existence of the stationary solution and further discuss the moment structure. We investigate the estimation method to the proposed models. The global estimates of parameters and local linear estimates of functional coefficients are obtained by using a back‐fitting algorithm. For testing whether the functional coefficients are some specified parametric forms, a bootstrap test approach is provided. The proposed models are illustrated by both simulated and real data examples.     

Detecting misspecifications in autoregressive conditional duration models and non‐negative time‐series processes

We develop a general theory to test correct specification of multiplicative error models of non‐negative time‐series processes, which include the popular autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) models. Both linear and nonlinear conditional expectation models are covered, and standardized innovations can have time‐varying conditional dispersion and higher‐order conditional moments of unknown form. No specific estimation method is required, and the tests have a convenient null asymptotic N(0,1) distribution. To reduce the impact of parameter estimation uncertainty in finite samples, we adopt Wooldridge's (1990a) device to our context and justify its validity. Simulation studies show that in the context of testing ACD models, finite sample correction gives better sizes in finite samples and are robust to parameter estimation uncertainty. And, it is important to take into account time‐varying conditional dispersion and higher‐order conditional moments in standardized innovations; failure to do so can cause strong overrejection of a correctly specified ACD model. The proposed tests have reasonable power against a variety of popular linear and nonlinear ACD alternatives.     

Regression‐based analysis of multivariate non‐Gaussian datasets for diagnosing abnormal situations in chemical processes

This article presents a regression‐based monitoring approach for diagnosing abnormal conditions in complex chemical process systems. Such systems typically yield process variables that may be both Gaussian and non‐Gaussian distributed. The proposed approach utilizes the statistical local approach to monitor parametric changes of the latent variable model that is identified by a revised non‐Gaussian regression algorithm. Based on a numerical example and recorded data from a fluidized bed reactor, the article shows that the proposed approach is more sensitive when compared to existing work in this area. A detailed analysis of both application studies highlights that the introduced non‐Gaussian monitoring scheme extracts latent components that provide a better approximation of non‐Gaussian source signal and/or is more sensitive in detecting process abnormities. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 148–159, 2014