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Almut E. D. Veraart

Publications and source records attributed to Almut E. D. Veraart.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Consistent community recovery in stochastic block Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes

We propose the stochastic block Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (SBOU) process, a continuous-time multivariate model in which the drift matrix encodes a latent group structure among its components. Our main contribution is a community-detection algorithm whose misclassification proportion converges to zero in a regime combining infill, long-span, and high-dimensional asymptotics. To our knowledge, this is the first consistency result of this kind for latent group recovery in a discretely observed continuous-time multivariate model. As a key intermediate result, we establish consistency of the discretely observed maximum likelihood estimator of the drift matrix in the same regime, thereby extending the high-dimensional Lévy-driven Ornstein-Uhlenbeck literature. For practical implementation, we develop a feasible model-selection procedure for estimating the support of the drift matrix, which enables data-driven selection of the number of latent groups. The SBOU framework can be viewed as a continuous-time generalisation of the discrete-time stochastic-block VAR model, allowing for both positive and negative dynamic interactions between groups as opposed to only positive. We illustrate the methodology on the RE-Europe wind-capacity dataset and recover a country-level grouping consistent with the geographic benchmark.

math.ST↗
arXiv2026

Edge-indexed network time series with graph Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dynamics

We introduce a class of Lévy-driven graph Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (grOU) models for edge-indexed network time series. The proposed framework extends generalized network autoregressive (GNAR) processes for edge-indexed network time series to continuous time and adapts graph Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dynamics, originally developed for node-indexed processes, to the edge-indexed setting. The model accommodates general Lévy noise and therefore captures both Brownian and jump behavior. We show that the model parameters can be estimated via a maximum-likelihood framework and derive the asymptotic properties of the estimator. We examine the finite-sample performance of the methodology through simulation studies and illustrate its practical relevance in an empirical application to high-frequency financial data. The results indicate that grOU models for edge-indexed network time series improve forecasting accuracy and reduce computational time relative to standard benchmarks while maintaining robustness through their network-based parametrization.

math.ST↗
arXiv2026

Statistical inference for Levy-driven graph supOU processes: From short- to long-memory in high-dimensional time series

This article introduces Levy-driven graph supOU processes, a parsimonious parametrisation for high-dimensional time series in which dependence between components is governed by a graph structure. Specifically, the model bridges short- and long-range dependence within a single parametric family while accommodating a wide range of marginal distributions. We further develop a generalised method of moments estimator, establish its consistency and asymptotic normality, and assess its finite-sample performance through a simulation study. Finally, we illustrate the practical relevance of our model and estimation method in an empirical study of wind capacity factors in a European electricity network context.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2026

Nonparametric estimation of trawl processes: Theory and applications

Trawl processes belong to the class of continuous-time, strictly stationary, infinitely divisible processes; they are defined as Levy bases evaluated over deterministic trawl sets. This article presents the first nonparametric estimator of the trawl function characterising the trawl set and the serial correlation of the process. Moreover, it establishes a detailed asymptotic theory for the proposed estimator, including a law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for various asymptotic relations between an in-fill and a long-span asymptotic regime. In addition, it develops consistent estimators for both the asymptotic bias and variance, which are subsequently used for establishing feasible central limit theorems which can be applied to data. A simulation study shows the good finite sample performance of the proposed estimators. The new methodology is applied to model misspecification testing, forecasting high-frequency financial spread data from a limit order book and to estimating the busy-time distribution of a stochastic queue.

math.ST↗
arXiv2025

Simulation-based inference via telescoping ratio estimation for trawl processes

The growing availability of large and complex datasets has increased interest in temporal stochastic processes that can capture stylized facts such as marginal skewness, non-Gaussian tails, long memory, and even non-Markovian dynamics. While such models are often easy to simulate from, parameter estimation remains challenging. Simulation-based inference (SBI) offers a promising way forward, but existing methods typically require large training datasets or complex architectures and frequently yield confidence (credible) regions that fail to attain their nominal values, raising doubts on the reliability of estimates for the very features that motivate the use of these models. To address these challenges, we propose a fast and accurate, sample-efficient SBI framework for amortized posterior inference applicable to intractable stochastic processes. The proposed approach relies on two main steps: first, we learn the posterior density by decomposing it sequentially across parameter dimensions. Then, we use Chebyshev polynomial approximations to efficiently generate independent posterior samples, enabling accurate inference even when Markov chain Monte Carlo methods mix poorly. We further develop novel diagnostic tools for SBI in this context, as well as post-hoc calibration techniques; the latter not only lead to performance improvements of the learned inferential tool, but also to the ability to reuse it directly with new time series of varying lengths, thus amortizing the training cost. We demonstrate the method's effectiveness on trawl processes, a class of flexible infinitely divisible models that generalize univariate Gaussian processes, applied to energy demand data.

stat.ML↗
arXiv2025

Causal tail coefficient for compound extremes in multivariate time series

Extreme events are often multivariate in nature. A compound extreme occurs when a combination of variables jointly produces a significant impact, even if individual components are not necessarily marginally extreme. Compound extremes have been observed across a wide range of domains, including space weather, climate, and environmental science. For example, heavy rainfall sustained over consecutive days can impose cumulative stress on urban drainage systems, potentially resulting in flooding. However, most existing methods for detecting extremal causality focus primarily on individual extreme values and lack the flexibility to capture causal relationships between compound extremes. This work introduces a novel framework for detecting causal dependencies between extreme events, including compound extremes. We introduce the compound causal tail coefficient that captures the extremal dependance of compound events between pairs of stationary time series. Based on a consistent estimator of this coefficient, we develop a bootstrap hypothesis test to evaluate the presence and direction of causal relationships. Our method can accommodate nonlinearity and latent confounding variables. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by establishing theoretic properties and through simulation studies and an application to space-weather data.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2025

Learning with Expected Signatures: Theory and Applications

The expected signature maps a collection of data streams to a lower dimensional representation, with a remarkable property: the resulting feature tensor can fully characterize the data generating distribution. This "model-free" embedding has been successfully leveraged to build multiple domain-agnostic machine learning (ML) algorithms for time series and sequential data. The convergence results proved in this paper bridge the gap between the expected signature's empirical discrete-time estimator and its theoretical continuous-time value, allowing for a more complete probabilistic interpretation of expected signature-based ML methods. Moreover, when the data generating process is a martingale, we suggest a simple modification of the expected signature estimator with significantly lower mean squared error and empirically demonstrate how it can be effectively applied to improve predictive performance.

stat.ML↗
arXiv2025

The Markov approximation of the periodic multivariate Poisson autoregression

This paper introduces a periodic multivariate Poisson autoregression with potentially infinite memory, with a special focus on the network setting. Using contraction techniques, we study the stability of such a process and provide upper bounds on how fast it reaches the periodically stationary regime. We then propose a computationally efficient Markov approximation using the properties of the exponential function and a density result. Furthermore, we prove the strong consistency of the maximum likelihood estimator for the Markov approximation and empirically test its robustness in the case of misspecification. Our model is applied to the prediction of weekly Rotavirus cases in Berlin, demonstrating superior performance compared to the existing PNAR model.

math.ST↗
arXiv2023

Likelihood-based inference and forecasting for trawl processes: a stochastic optimization approach

We consider trawl processes, which are stationary and infinitely divisible stochastic processes and can describe a wide range of statistical properties, such as heavy tails and long memory. In this paper, we develop the first likelihood-based methodology for the inference of real-valued trawl processes and introduce novel deterministic and probabilistic forecasting methods. Being non-Markovian, with a highly intractable likelihood function, trawl processes require the use of composite likelihood functions to parsimoniously capture their statistical properties. We formulate the composite likelihood estimation as a stochastic optimization problem for which it is feasible to implement iterative gradient descent methods. We derive novel gradient estimators with variances that are reduced by several orders of magnitude. We analyze both the theoretical properties and practical implementation details of these estimators and release a Python library which can be used to fit a large class of trawl processes. In a simulation study, we demonstrate that our estimators outperform the generalized method of moments estimators in terms of both parameter estimation error and out-of-sample forecasting error. Finally, we formalize a stochastic chain rule for our gradient estimators. We apply the new theory to trawl processes and provide a unified likelihood-based methodology for the inference of both real-valued and integer-valued trawl processes.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2023

Estimation and Inference for Multivariate Continuous-time Autoregressive Processes

The aim of this paper is to develop estimation and inference methods for the drift parameters of multivariate Lévy-driven continuous-time autoregressive processes of order $p\in\mathbb{N}$. Starting from a continuous-time observation of the process, we develop consistent and asymptotically normal maximum likelihood estimators. We then relax the unrealistic assumption of continuous-time observation by considering natural discretizations based on a combination of Riemann-sum, finite difference, and thresholding approximations. The resulting estimators are also proven to be consistent and asymptotically normal under a general set of conditions, allowing for both finite and infinite jump activity in the driving Lévy process. When discretizing the estimators, allowing for irregularly spaced observations is of great practical importance. In this respect, CAR($p$) models are not just relevant for "true" continuous-time processes: a CAR($p$) specification provides a natural continuous-time interpolation for modeling irregularly spaced data - even if the observed process is inherently discrete. As a practically relevant application, we consider the setting where the multivariate observation is known to possess a graphical structure. We refer to such a process as GrCAR and discuss the corresponding drift estimators and their properties. The finite sample behavior of all theoretical asymptotic results is empirically assessed by extensive simulation experiments.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2023

Periodic trawl processes: Simulation, statistical inference and applications in energy markets

This article introduces the class of periodic trawl processes, which are continuous-time, infinitely divisible, stationary stochastic processes, that allow for periodicity and flexible forms of their serial correlation, including both short- and long-memory settings. We derive some of the key probabilistic properties of periodic trawl processes and present relevant examples. Moreover, we show how such processes can be simulated and establish the asymptotic theory for their sample mean and sample autocovariances. Consequently, we prove the asymptotic normality of a (generalised) method-of-moments estimator for the model parameters. We illustrate the new model and estimation methodology in an application to electricity prices.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2023

A feasible central limit theorem for realised covariation of SPDEs in the context of functional data

This article establishes an asymptotic theory for volatility estimation in an infinite-dimensional setting. We consider mild solutions of semilinear stochastic partial differential equations and derive a stable central limit theorem for the semigroup adjusted realised covariation (SARCV), which is a consistent estimator of the integrated volatility and a generalisation of the realised quadratic covariation to Hilbert spaces. Moreover, we introduce semigroup adjusted multipower variations (SAMPV) and establish their weak law of large numbers; using SAMPV, we construct a consistent estimator of the asymptotic covariance of the mixed-Gaussian limiting process appearing in the central limit theorem for the SARCV, resulting in a feasible asymptotic theory. Finally, we outline how our results can be applied even if observations are only available on a discrete space-time grid.

math.ST↗
arXiv2023

Inference and forecasting for continuous-time integer-valued trawl processes

This paper develops likelihood-based methods for estimation, inference, model selection, and forecasting of continuous-time integer-valued trawl processes. The full likelihood of integer-valued trawl processes is, in general, highly intractable, motivating the use of composite likelihood methods, where we consider the pairwise likelihood in lieu of the full likelihood. Maximizing the pairwise likelihood of the data yields an estimator of the parameter vector of the model, and we prove consistency and, in the short memory case, asymptotic normality of this estimator. When the underlying trawl process has long memory, the asymptotic behaviour of the estimator is more involved; we present some partial results for this case. The pairwise approach further allows us to develop probabilistic forecasting methods, which can be used to construct the predictive distribution of integer-valued time series. In a simulation study, we document the good finite sample performance of the likelihood-based estimator and the associated model selection procedure. Lastly, the methods are illustrated in an application to modelling and forecasting financial bid-ask spread data, where we find that it is beneficial to carefully model both the marginal distribution and the autocorrelation structure of the data.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2022

A dynamic extreme value model with applications to volcanic eruption forecasting

Extreme events such as natural and economic disasters leave lasting impacts on society and motivate the analysis of extremes from data. While classical statistical tools based on Gaussian distributions focus on average behaviour and can lead to persistent biases when estimating extremes, extreme value theory (EVT) provides the mathematical foundations to accurately characterise extremes. In this paper, we adapt a dynamic extreme value model recently introduced to forecast financial risk from high frequency data to the context of natural hazard forecasting. We demonstrate its wide applicability and flexibility using a case study of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano. The value of using EVT-informed thresholds to identify and model extreme events is shown through forecast performance.

stat.AP↗
arXiv2022

Simulation methods and error analysis for trawl processes and ambit fields

Trawl processes are continuous-time, stationary and infinitely divisible processes which can describe a wide range of possible serial correlation patterns in data. In this paper, we introduce new simulation algorithms for trawl processes with monotonic trawl functions and establish their error bounds and convergence properties. We extensively analyse the computational complexity and practical implementation of these algorithms and discuss which one to use depending on the type of Lévy basis. We extend the above methodology to the simulation of kernel-weighted, volatility modulated trawl processes and develop a new simulation algorithm for ambit fields. Finally, we discuss how simulation schemes previously described in the literature can be combined with our methods for decreased computational cost.

stat.ME↗
arXiv2022

Limit theorems for the realised semicovariances of multivariate Brownian semistationary processes

In this article we will introduce the realised semicovariance for Brownian semistationary (BSS) processes, which is obtained from the decomposition of the realised covariance matrix into components based on the signs of the returns, and study its in-fill asymptotic properties. More precisely, a weak convergence in the space of càdlàg functions endowed with the Skorohod topology for the realised semicovariance of a general Gaussian process with stationary increments is proved first. The methods are based on Breuer-Major theorems and on a moment bound for sums of products of Gaussian vector's functions. Furthermore, we establish a corresponding stable convergence. Finally, a weak law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for the realised semicovariance of multivariate BSS processes are established. These results extend the limit theorems for the realised covariation to a result for non-linear functionals.

math.PR↗
arXiv2022

High-frequency Estimation of the Lévy-driven Graph Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process

We consider the Graph Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (GrOU) process observed on a non-uniform discrete time grid and introduce discretised maximum likelihood estimators with parameters specific to the whole graph or specific to each component, or node. Under a high-frequency sampling scheme, we study the asymptotic behaviour of those estimators as the mesh size of the observation grid goes to zero. We prove two stable central limit theorems to the same distribution as in the continuously-observed case under both finite and infinite jump activity for the Lévy driving noise. When a graph structure is not explicitly available, the stable convergence allows to consider purpose-specific sparse inference procedures, i.e. pruning, on the edges themselves in parallel to the GrOU inference and preserve its asymptotic properties. We apply the new estimators to wind capacity factor measurements, i.e. the ratio between the wind power produced locally compared to its rated peak power, across fifty locations in Northern Spain and Portugal. We show the superiority of those estimators compared to the standard least squares estimator through a simulation study extending known univariate results across graph configurations, noise types and amplitudes.

stat.ME↗