For autoregressive processes, we propose new estimators whose pivotal statistics have the standard normal limiting distribution for all ranges of the autoregressive parameters. The proposed estimators are approximately median unbiased. For seasonal time series, the new estimators give us unit root tests that have limiting normal distribution regardless of period of the seasonality. Using the estimators, confidence intervals of the autoregressive parameters are constructed. A Monte-Carlo simulation for first-order autoregressions shows that the proposed tests for unit roots are locally more powerful than the tests based on the ordinary least squares estimators. It also shows that the proposed confidence intervals have shorter average lengths than those of Andrews (1993, Econometrica 61, 139–165) based on the ordinary least squares estimators when the autoregressive coefficient is close to one.

We consider the asymptotic null distribution of the empirical autocorrelation function when the innovations of a moving average process belong to the normal domain of attraction of a Cauchy law. A series expansion for the density of the limiting null distribution is developed, and some critical values of the tests are computed numerically.

In this paper nearly unstable AR(p) processes (in other words, models with characteristic roots near the unit circle) are studied. Our main aim is to describe the asymptotic behavior of the least-squares estimators of the coefficients. A convergence result is presented for the general complex-valued case. The limit distribution is given by the help of some continuous time AR processes. We apply the results for real-valued nearly unstable AR(p) models. In this case the limit distribution can be identified with the maximum likelihood estimator of the coefficients of the corresponding continuous time AR processes.

Despite the fact that it is not correct to speak of Bartlett corrections in the case of nonstationary time series, this paper shows that a Bartlett-type correction to the likelihood ratio test for a unit root can be an effective tool to control size distortions. Using well-known formulae, we obtain second-order (numerical) approximations to the moments and cumulants of the likelihood ratio, which makes it possible to calculate a Bartlett-type factor. It turns out that the cumulants of the corrected statistic are closer to their asymptotic value than the original one. A simulation study is then carried out to assess the quality of these approximations for the first four moments; the size and the power of the original and the corrected statistic are also simulated. Our results suggest that the proposed correction reduces the size distortion without affecting the power too much.

In this paper a method is presented to estimate correlated discrete random variables with known univariate distribution functions up to some parameters. We also present an empirical illustration on Dutch recreational data.

We develop asymptotic approximations to the distribution of forecast errors from an estimated AR(1) model with no drift when the true process is nearly I(1) and both the forecast horizon and the sample size are allowed to increase at the same rate. We find that the forecast errors are the sums of two components that are asymptotically independent. The first is asymptotically normal whereas the second is asymptotically nonnormal. This throws doubt on the suitability of a normal approximation to the forecast error distribution. We then perform a Monte Carlo study to quantify further the effects on the forecast errors of sampling variability in the parameter estimates as we allow both forecast horizon and sample size to increase.