This paper proposes a generalized method of moments (GMM) shrinkage method to efficiently estimate the unknown parameters θo identified by some moment restrictions, when there is another set of possibly misspecified moment conditions. We show that our method enjoys oracle-like properties; i.e., it consistently selects the correct moment conditions in the second set and at the same time, its estimator is as efficient as the GMM estimator based on all correct moment conditions. For empirical implementation, we provide a simple data-driven procedure for selecting the tuning parameters of the penalty function. We also establish oracle properties of the GMM shrinkage method in the practically important scenario where the moment conditions in the first set fail to strongly identify θo. The simulation results show that the method works well in terms of correct moment selection and the finite sample properties of its estimators. As an empirical illustration, we apply our method to estimate the life-cycle labor supply equation studied in MaCurdy (1981, Journal of Political Economy 89(6), 1059–1085) and Altonji (1986, Journal of Political Economy 94(3), 176–215). Our empirical findings support the validity of the instrumental variables used in both papers and confirm that wage is an endogenous variable in the labor supply equation.

This paper studies a nonlinear cointegrating regression model with nonlinear nonstationary heteroskedastic error processes. We establish uniform consistency for the conventional kernel estimate of the unknown regression function and develop atwo-stage approach for the estimation of the heterogeneity generating function.

In this paper, we propose a new noncausal vector autoregressive (VAR) model for non-Gaussian time series. The assumption of non-Gaussianity is needed for reasons of identifiability. Assuming that the error distribution belongs to a fairly general class of elliptical distributions, we develop an asymptotic theory of maximum likelihood estimation and statistical inference. We argue that allowing for noncausality is of particular importance in economic applications that currently use only conventional causal VAR models. Indeed, if noncausality is incorrectly ignored, the use of a causal VAR model may yield suboptimal forecasts and misleading economic interpretations. Therefore, we propose a procedure for discriminating between causality and noncausality. The methods are illustrated with an application to interest rate data.

I study the partial identifying power of structural single-equation threshold-crossing models for binary responses when explanatory variables may be endogenous. The sharp identified set of threshold functions is derived for the case in which explanatory variables are discrete, and I provide a constructive proof of sharpness. There is special attention to a widely employed semiparametric shape restriction, which requires the threshold-crossing function to be a monotone function of a linear index involving the observable explanatory variables. The restriction brings great computational benefits, allowing calculation of the identified set of index coefficients without calculating the nonparametrically specified threshold function. With the restriction in place, the methods of the paper can be applied to produce identified sets in a class of binary response models with mismeasured explanatory variables.

This paper proposes a residual-based Lagrange Multiplier (LM) test for slope homogeneity in large-dimensional panel data models with interactive fixed effects. We first run the panel regression under the null to obtain the restricted residuals and then use them to construct our LM test statistic. We show that after being appropriately centered and scaled, our test statistic is asymptotically normally distributed under the null and a sequence of Pitman local alternatives. The asymptotic distributional theories are established under fairly general conditions that allow for both lagged dependent variables and conditional heteroskedasticity of unknown form by relying on the concept of conditional strong mixing. To improve the finite-sample performance of the test, we also propose a bootstrap procedure to obtain the bootstrap p-values and justify its validity. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the test has correct size and satisfactory power. We apply our test to study the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development economic growth model.

This paper considers model-free hypothesis testing and confidence interval construction for conditional quantiles of time series. A new method, which is based on inversion of the smoothed empirical likelihood of the conditional distribution function around the local polynomial estimator, is proposed. The associated inferential procedures do not require variance estimation, and the confidence intervals are automatically shaped by data. We also construct the bias-corrected empirical likelihood, which does not require undersmoothing. Limit theories are developed for mixing time series. Simulations show that the proposed methods work well in finite samples and outperform the normal confidence interval. An empirical application to inference of the conditional value-at-risk of stock returns is also provided.

Improvements in data acquisition and processing techniques have led to an almost continuous flow of information for financial data. High-resolution tick data are available and can be quite conveniently described by a continuous-time process. It is therefore natural to ask for possible extensions of financial time series models to a functional setup. In this paper we propose a functional version of the popular autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model. We will establish conditions for the existence of a strictly stationary solution, derive weak dependence and moment conditions, show consistency of the estimators, and perform a small empirical study demonstrating how our model matches with real data.

The paper presents a cointegration model in continuous time, where the linear combinations of the integrated processes are modeled by a multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. The integrated processes are defined as vector-valued Lévy processes with an additional noise term. Hence, if we observe the process at discrete time points, we obtain a multiple regression model. As an estimator for the regression parameter we use the least squares estimator. We show that it is a consistent estimator and derive its asymptotic behavior. The limit distribution is a ratio of functionals of Brownian motions and stable Lévy processes, whose characteristic triplets have an explicit analytic representation. In particular, we present the Wald and the t-ratio statistic and simulate asymptotic confidence intervals. For the proofs we derive some central limit theorems for multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes.

This paper studies the asymptotic theory of least squares estimation in a threshold moving average model. Under some mild conditions, it is shown that the estimator of the threshold is n-consistent and its limiting distribution is related to a two-sided compound Poisson process, whereas the estimators of other coefficients are strongly consistent and asymptotically normal. This paper also provides a resampling method to tabulate the limiting distribution of the estimated threshold in practice, which is the first successful effort in this direction. This resampling method contributes to threshold literature. Simultaneously, simulation studies are carried out to assess the performance of least squares estimation in finite samples.

This paper studies generalized additive partial linear models with high-dimensional covariates. We are interested in which components (including parametric and nonparametric components) are nonzero. The additive nonparametric functions are approximated by polynomial splines. We propose a doubly penalized procedure to obtain an initial estimate and then use the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator to identify nonzero components and to obtain the final selection and estimation results. We establish selection and estimation consistency of the estimator in addition to asymptotic normality for the estimator of the parametric components by employing a penalized quasi-likelihood. Thus our estimator is shown to have an asymptotic oracle property. Monte Carlo simulations show that the proposed procedure works well with moderate sample sizes.

We provide new conditions for identification of accelerated failure time competing risks models. These include Roy models and some auction models. In our setup, unknown regression functions and the joint survivor function of latent disturbance terms are all nonparametric. We show that this model is identified given covariates that are independent of latent errors, provided that a certain rank condition is satisfied. We present a simple example in which our rank condition for identification is verified. Our identification strategy does not depend on identification at infinity or near zero, and it does not require exclusion assumptions. Given our identification, we show estimation can be accomplished using sieves.

This paper considers the conventional recursive (otherwise known as plug-in) and direct multistep forecasts in a panel vector autoregressive framework. We derive asymptotic expressions for the mean square prediction error (MSPE) of both forecasts as N (cross sections) and T (time periods) grow large. Both the bias and variance of the least squares fitting are manifest in the MSPE. Using these expressions, we consider the effect of model specification on predictor accuracy. When the fitted lag order (q) is equal to or exceeds the true lag order (p), the direct MSPE is larger than the recursive MSPE. On the other hand, when the fitted lag order is underspecified, the direct MSPE is smaller than the recursive MSPE. The recursive MSPE is increasing in q for all q ≥ p. In contrast, the direct MSPE is not monotonic in q within the permissible parameter space. Extensions to bias-corrected least squares estimators are considered.

We study the problem of identifying a forecaster’s loss function from observations on forecasts, realizations, and the forecaster’s information set. Essentially different loss functions can lead to the same forecasts in all situations, though within the class of all continuous loss functions, this is strongly nongeneric. With the small set of exceptional cases ruled out, generic nonparametric preference recovery is theoretically possible, but identification depends critically on the amount of variation in the conditional distributions of the process being forecast. There exist processes with sufficient variability to guarantee identification, and much of this variation is also necessary for a process to have universal identifying power. We also briefly address the case in which the econometrician does not fully observe the conditional distributions used by the forecaster, and in this context we provide a practically useful set identification result for loss functions used in forecasting binary variables.

We investigate the finite-sample bias of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) in spatial autoregressive models with possible exogenous regressors. We derive the approximate bias result of the QMLE in terms of model parameters and also the moments (up to order 4) of the error distribution, and thus a feasible bias-correction procedure is directly applicable. In some special cases, the analytical bias result can be significantly simplified. Our Monte Carlo results demonstrate that the feasible bias-correction procedure works remarkably well.

Standard risk measures, such as the value-at-risk (VaR), or the expected shortfall, have to be estimated, and their estimated counterparts are subject to estimation uncertainty. Replacing, in the theoretical formulas, the true parameter value by an estimator based on n observations of the profit and loss variable induces an asymptotic bias of order 1/n in the coverage probabilities. This paper shows how to correct for this bias by introducing a new estimator of the VaR, called estimation-adjusted VaR (EVaR). This adjustment allows for a joint treatment of theoretical and estimation risks, taking into account their possible dependence. The estimator is derived for a general parametric dynamic model and is particularized to stochastic drift and volatility models. The finite sample properties of the EVaR estimator are studied by simulation and an empirical study of the S&P index is proposed.

Relevant sample quantities such as the sample autocorrelation function and extremes contain useful information about autoregressive time series with heteroskedastic errors. As these quantities usually depend on the tail index of the underlying heteroskedastic time series, estimating the tail index becomes an important task. Since the tail index of such a model is determined by a moment equation, one can estimate the underlying tail index by solving the sample moment equation with the unknown parameters being replaced by their quasi-maximum likelihood estimates. To construct a confidence interval for the tail index, one needs to estimate the complicated asymptotic variance of the tail index estimator, however. In this paper the asymptotic normality of the tail index estimator is first derived, and a profile empirical likelihood method to construct a confidence interval for the tail index is then proposed. A simulation study shows that the proposed empirical likelihood method works better than the bootstrap method in terms of coverage accuracy, especially when the process is nearly nonstationary.

This paper considers the problem of testing for multiple structural changes in the persistence of a univariate time series. We propose sup-Wald tests of the null hypothesis that the process has an autoregressive unit root throughout the sample against the alternative hypothesis that the process alternates between stationary and unit root regimes. We derive the limit distributions of the tests under the null and establish their consistency under the relevant alternatives. We further show that the tests are inconsistent when directed against the incorrect alternative, thereby enabling identification of the nature of persistence in the initial regime. We also propose hybrid testing procedures that allow ruling out of stable stationary processes or ones that are subject to only stationary changes under the null, thereby aiding the researcher in interpreting a rejection as emanating from a switch between a unit root and stationary regime. The computation of the test statistics as well as asymptotic critical values is facilitated by the dynamic programming algorithm proposed in Perron and Qu (2006, Journal of Econometrics134, 373–399) which allows imposing within- and cross-regime restrictions on the parameters. Finally, we present Monte Carlo evidence to show that the proposed procedures perform well in finite samples relative to those available in the literature.

We consider estimation and testing in finite-order autoregressive models with a (near) unit root and infinite-variance innovations. We study the asymptotic properties of estimators obtained by dummying out “large” innovations, i.e., those exceeding a given threshold. These estimators reflect the common practice of dealing with large residuals by including impulse dummies in the estimated regression. Iterative versions of the dummy-variable estimator are also discussed. We provide conditions on the preliminary parameter estimator and on the threshold that ensure that (i) the dummy-based estimator is consistent at higher rates than the ordinary least squares estimator, (ii) an asymptotically normal test statistic for the unit root hypothesis can be derived, and (iii) order of magnitude gains of local power are obtained.

This paper studies second-order properties of the empirical likelihood overidentifying restriction test to check the validity of moment condition models. We show that the empirical likelihood test is Bartlett correctable and suggest second-order refinement methods for the test based on the empirical Bartlett correction and adjusted empirical likelihood. Our second-order analysis supplements the one in Chen and Cui (2007, Journal of Econometrics141, 492–516) who considered parameter hypothesis testing for overidentified models. In simulation studies we find that the empirical Bartlett correction and adjusted empirical likelihood assisted by bootstrapping provide reasonable improvements for the properties of the null rejection probabilities.

This paper is concerned with the nonparametric estimation of regression quantiles of a response variable that is randomly censored. Using results on the strong uniform convergence rate of U-processes, we derive a global Bahadur representation for a class of locally weighted polynomial estimators, which is sufficiently accurate for many further theoretical analyses including inference. Implications of our results are demonstrated through the study of the asymptotic properties of the average derivative estimator of the average gradient vector and the estimator of the component functions in censored additive quantile regression models.