arXiv subjects

Gael M. Martin

Publications and source records attributed to Gael M. Martin.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Issues in the Estimation of Mis-Specified Models of Fractionally Integrated Processes

We provide a comprehensive set of new results on the impact of mis-specifying the short run dynamics in fractionally integrated processes. We show that four alternative parametric estimators - frequency domain maximum likelihood, Whittle, time domain maximum likelihood and conditional sum of squares - converge to the same pseudo-true value under common mis-specification, and that they possess a common asymptotic distribution. The results are derived assuming a completely general parametric specification for the short run dynamics of the estimated (mis-specified) fractional model, and with long memory, short memory and antipersistence in both the model and the true data generating process accommodated. As well as providing new theoretical insights, we undertake an extensive set of numerical explorations, beginning with the numerical evaluation, and implementation, of the (common) asymptotic distribution that holds under the most extreme form of mis-specification. Simulation experiments are then conducted to assess the relative finite sample performance of all four mis-specified estimators, initially under the assumption of a known mean, as accords with the theoretical derivations. The importance of the known mean assumption is illustrated via the production of an alternative set of bias and mean squared error results, in which the estimators are applied to demeaned data. The paper concludes with a discussion of open problems.

math.ST↗

arXiv2018

Approximate Bayesian Forecasting

Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) has become increasingly prominent as a method for conducting parameter inference in a range of challenging statistical problems, most notably those characterized by an intractable likelihood function. In this paper, we focus on the use of ABC not as a tool for parametric inference, but as a means of generating probabilistic forecasts; or for conducting what we refer to as `approximate Bayesian forecasting'. The four key issues explored are: i) the link between the theoretical behavior of the ABC posterior and that of the ABC-based predictive; ii) the use of proper scoring rules to measure the (potential) loss of forecast accuracy when using an approximate rather than an exact predictive; iii) the performance of approximate Bayesian forecasting in state space models; and iv) the use of forecasting criteria to inform the selection of ABC summaries in empirical settings. The primary finding of the paper is that ABC can provide a computationally efficient means of generating probabilistic forecasts that are nearly identical to those produced by the exact predictive, and in a fraction of the time required to produce predictions via an exact method. y identical to those produced by the exact predictive, and in a fraction of the time required to produce predictions via an exact method.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2018

Asymptotic Properties of Approximate Bayesian Computation

Approximate Bayesian computation allows for statistical analysis in models with intractable likelihoods. In this paper we consider the asymptotic behaviour of the posterior distribution obtained by this method. We give general results on the rate at which the posterior distribution concentrates on sets containing the true parameter, its limiting shape, and the asymptotic distribution of the posterior mean. These results hold under given rates for the tolerance used within the method, mild regularity conditions on the summary statistics, and a condition linked to identification of the true parameters. Implications for practitioners are discussed.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2017

Construction and Visualization of Optimal Confidence Sets for Frequentist Distributional Forecasts

The focus of this paper is on the quantification of sampling variation in frequentist probabilistic forecasts. We propose a method of constructing confidence sets that respects the functional nature of the forecast distribution, and use animated graphics to visualize the impact of parameter uncertainty on the location, dispersion and shape of the distribution. The confidence sets are derived via the inversion of a Wald test and are asymptotically uniformly most accurate and, hence, optimal in this sense. A wide range of linear and non-linear time series models - encompassing long memory, state space and mixture specifications - is used to demonstrate the procedure, based on artificially generated data. An empirical example in which distributional forecasts of both financial returns and its stochastic volatility are produced is then used to illustrate the practical importance of accommodating sampling variation in the manner proposed.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2016

Inference on Self-Exciting Jumps in Prices and Volatility using High Frequency Measures

Dynamic jumps in the price and volatility of an asset are modelled using a joint Hawkes process in conjunction with a bivariate jump diffusion. A state space representation is used to link observed returns, plus nonparametric measures of integrated volatility and price jumps, to the specified model components; with Bayesian inference conducted using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. An evaluation of marginal likelihoods for the proposed model relative to a large number of alternative models, including some that have featured in the literature, is provided. An extensive empirical investigation is undertaken using data on the S&P500 market index over the 1996 to 2014 period, with substantial support for dynamic jump intensities - including in terms of predictive accuracy - documented.

stat.AP↗

arXiv2016

Bias Correction of Semiparametric Long Memory Parameter Estimators via the Pre-filtered Sieve Bootstrap

This paper investigates bootstrap-based bias correction of semiparametric estimators of the long memory parameter, $d$, in fractionally integrated processes. The re-sampling method involves the application of the sieve bootstrap to data pre-filtered by a preliminary semiparametric estimate of the long memory parameter. Theoretical justification for using the bootstrap technique to bias adjust log periodogram and semiparametric local Whittle estimators of the memory parameter is provided in the case where the true value of $d$ lies in the range $0\leq d<0.5$. That the bootstrap method provides confidence intervals with the correct asymptotic coverage is also proven, with the intervals shown to adjust explicitly for bias, as estimated via the bootstrap. Simulation evidence comparing the performance of the bootstrap bias correction with analytical bias-correction techniques is presented. The bootstrap method is shown to produce notable bias reductions, in particular when applied to an estimator for which some degree of bias reduction has already been accomplished by analytical means.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2015

On Consistency of Approximate Bayesian Computation

Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) methods have become increasingly prevalent of late, facilitating as they do the analysis of intractable, or challenging, statistical problems. With the initial focus being primarily on the practical import of ABC, exploration of its formal statistical properties has begun to attract more attention. The aim of this paper is to establish general conditions under which ABC methods are Bayesian consistent, in the sense of producing draws that yield a degenerate posterior distribution at the true parameter (vector) asymptotically (in the sample size). We derive conditions under which arbitrary summary statistics yield consistent inference in the Bayesian sense, with these conditions linked to identification of the true parameters. Using simple illustrative examples that have featured in the literature, we demonstrate that identification, and hence consistency, is unlikely to be achieved in many cases, and propose a simple diagnostic procedure that can indicate the presence of this problem. We also formally explore the link between consistency and the use of auxiliary models within ABC, and illustrate the subsequent results in the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model.

stat.CO↗

arXiv2014

Bias Correction of Persistence Measures in Fractionally Integrated Models

This paper investigates the accuracy of bootstrap-based bias correction of persistence measures for long memory fractionally integrated processes. The bootstrap method is based on the semi-parametric sieve approach, with the dynamics in the long memory process captured by an autoregressive approximation. With a view to improving accuracy, the sieve method is also applied to data pre-filtered by a semi-parametric estimate of the long memory parameter. Both versions of the bootstrap technique are used to estimate the finite sample distributions of the sample autocorrelation coefficients and the impulse response coefficients and, in turn, to bias-adjust these statistics. The accuracy of the resultant estimators in the case of the autocorrelation coefficients is also compared with that yielded by analytical bias adjustment methods when available. The basic sieve technique is seen to yield a reduction in the bias of both persistence measures. The pre-filtered sieve produces a substantial further reduction in the bias of the estimated impulse response function, whilst the extra improvement yielded by pre-filtering in the case of the sample autocorrelation function is shown to depend heavily on the accuracy of the pre-filter.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2014

Approximate Bayesian Computation in State Space Models

A new approach to inference in state space models is proposed, based on approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). ABC avoids evaluation of the likelihood function by matching observed summary statistics with statistics computed from data simulated from the true process; exact inference being feasible only if the statistics are sufficient. With finite sample sufficiency unattainable in the state space setting, we seek asymptotic sufficiency via the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the parameters of an auxiliary model. We prove that this auxiliary model-based approach achieves Bayesian consistency, and that - in a precise limiting sense - the proximity to (asymptotic) sufficiency yielded by the MLE is replicated by the score. In multiple parameter settings a separate treatment of scalar parameters, based on integrated likelihood techniques, is advocated as a way of avoiding the curse of dimensionality. Some attention is given to a structure in which the state variable is driven by a continuous time process, with exact inference typically infeasible in this case as a result of intractable transitions. The ABC method is demonstrated using the unscented Kalman filter as a fast and simple way of producing an approximation in this setting, with a stochastic volatility model for financial returns used for illustration.

math.ST↗

arXiv2014

Bias Reduction of Long Memory Parameter Estimators via the Pre-filtered Sieve Bootstrap

This paper investigates the use of bootstrap-based bias correction of semi-parametric estimators of the long memory parameter in fractionally integrated processes. The re-sampling method involves the application of the sieve bootstrap to data pre-filtered by a preliminary semi-parametric estimate of the long memory parameter. Theoretical justification for using the bootstrap techniques to bias adjust log-periodogram and semi-parametric local Whittle estimators of the memory parameter is provided. Simulation evidence comparing the performance of the bootstrap bias correction with analytical bias correction techniques is also presented. The bootstrap method is shown to produce notable bias reductions, in particular when applied to an estimator for which analytical adjustments have already been used. The empirical coverage of confidence intervals based on the bias-adjusted estimators is very close to the nominal, for a reasonably large sample size, more so than for the comparable analytically adjusted estimators. The precision of inferences (as measured by interval length) is also greater when the bootstrap is used to bias correct rather than analytical adjustments.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2013

Higher-Order Improvements of the Sieve Bootstrap for Fractionally Integrated Processes

This paper investigates the accuracy of bootstrap-based inference in the case of long memory fractionally integrated processes. The re-sampling method is based on the semi-parametric sieve approach, whereby the dynamics in the process used to produce the bootstrap draws are captured by an autoregressive approximation. Application of the sieve method to data pre-filtered by a semi-parametric estimate of the long memory parameter is also explored. Higher-order improvements yielded by both forms of re-sampling are demonstrated using Edgeworth expansions for a broad class of statistics that includes first- and second-order moments, the discrete Fourier transform and regression coefficients. The methods are then applied to the problem of estimating the sampling distributions of the sample mean and of selected sample autocorrelation coefficients, in experimental settings. In the case of the sample mean, the pre-filtered version of the bootstrap is shown to avoid the distinct underestimation of the sampling variance of the mean which the raw sieve method demonstrates in finite samples, higher order accuracy of the latter notwithstanding. Pre-filtering also produces gains in terms of the accuracy with which the sampling distributions of the sample autocorrelations are reproduced, most notably in the part of the parameter space in which asymptotic normality does not obtain. Most importantly, the sieve bootstrap is shown to reproduce the (empirically infeasible) Edgeworth expansion of the sampling distribution of the autocorrelation coefficients, in the part of the parameter space in which the expansion is valid.

stat.ME↗