This paper considers dynamic time series binary choice models. It proves near epoch dependence and strong mixing for the dynamic binary choice model with correlated errors. Using this result, it shows in a time series setting the validity of the dynamic probit likelihood procedure when lags of the dependent binary variable are used as regressors, and it establishes the asymptotic validity of Horowitz’s smoothed maximum score estimation of dynamic binary choice models with lags of the dependent variable as regressors. For the semiparametric model, the latent error is explicitly allowed to be correlated. It turns out that no long-run variance estimator is needed for the validity of the smoothed maximum score procedure in the dynamic time series framework.

A new class of large-sample covariance and spectral density matrix estimators is proposed based on the notion of flat-top kernels. The new estimators are shown to be higher-order accurate when higher-order accuracy is possible. A discussion on kernel choice is presented as well as a supporting finite-sample simulation. The problem of spectral estimation under a potential lack of finite fourth moments is also addressed. The higher-order accuracy of flat-top kernel estimators typically comes at the sacrifice of the positive semidefinite property. Nevertheless, we show how a flat-top estimator can be modified to become positive semidefinite (even strictly positive definite) while maintaining its higher-order accuracy. In addition, an easy (and consistent) procedure for optimal bandwidth choice is given; this procedure estimates the optimal bandwidth associated with each individual element of the target matrix, automatically sensing (and adapting to) the underlying correlation structure.

This paper studies the properties of naive block bootstrap tests that are scaled by zero frequency spectral density estimators (long-run variance estimators). The naive bootstrap is a bootstrap where the formula used in the bootstrap world to compute standard errors is the same as the formula used on the original data. Simulation evidence shows that the naive bootstrap can be much more accurate than the standard normal approximation. The larger the HAC bandwidth, the greater the improvement. This improvement holds for a large number of popular kernels, including the Bartlett kernel, and it holds when the independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) bootstrap is used and yet the data are serially correlated. Using recently developed fixed-b asymptotics for HAC robust tests, we provide theoretical results that can explain the finite sample patterns. We show that the block bootstrap, including the special case of the i.i.d. bootstrap, has the same limiting distribution as the fixed-b asymptotic distribution. For the special case of a location model, we provide theoretical results that suggest the naive bootstrap can be more accurate than the standard normal approximation depending on the choice of the bandwidth and the number of finite moments in the data. Our theoretical results lay the foundation for a bootstrap asymptotic theory that is an alternative to the traditional approach based on Edgeworth expansions.

This paper proposes a nonparametric simultaneous test for parametric specification of the conditional mean and variance functions in a time series regression model. The test is based on an empirical likelihood (EL) statistic that measures the goodness of fit between the parametric estimates and the nonparametric kernel estimates of the mean and variance functions. A unique feature of the test is its ability to distribute natural weights automatically between the mean and the variance components of the goodness-of-fit measure. To reduce the dependence of the test on a single pair of smoothing bandwidths, we construct an adaptive test by maximizing a standardized version of the empirical likelihood test statistic over a set of smoothing bandwidths. The test procedure is based on a bootstrap calibration to the distribution of the empirical likelihood test statistic. We demonstrate that the empirical likelihood test is able to distinguish local alternatives that are different from the null hypothesis at an optimal rate.

New notions of tail and nontail dependence are used to characterize separately extremal and nonextremal information, including tail log-exceedances and events, and tail-trimmed levels. We prove that near epoch dependence (McLeish, 1975; Gallant and White, 1988) and L0-approximability (Pötscher and Prucha, 1991) are equivalent for tail events and tail-trimmed levels, ensuring a Gaussian central limit theory for important extreme value and robust statistics under general conditions. We apply the theory to characterize the extremal and nonextremal memory properties of possibly very heavy-tailed GARCH processes and distributed lags. This in turn is used to verify Gaussian limits for tail index, tail dependence, and tail-trimmed sums of these data, allowing for Gaussian asymptotics for a new tail-trimmed least squares estimator for heavy-tailed processes.

In this comment we identify a lacuna in a proof in the paper by M. Caner published in 1997 in Econometric Theory concerning the weak limit behavior of various expressions involving heavy-tailed multivariate vectors and the convergence of stochastic integrals. In a later paper (Caner, 1998) the results for these limit relations are used to formulate tests for cointegration with infinite variance errors.

We generalize the cumulative sum of squares (CUSQ) test to the case of nonstationary autoregressive distributed lag models with deterministic time trends. The test may be implemented with either ordinary least squares residuals or standardized forecast errors. In explosive cases the asymptotic theory applies more generally for the least squares residuals-based test. Preliminary simulations of the tests suggest a very modest difference between the tests and a very modest variation with nuisance parameters. This supports the use of the tests in explorative analysis.