The Periodogram of fractional processes1

Abstract. We analyse asymptotic properties of the discrete Fourier transform and the periodogram of time series obtained through (truncated) linear filtering of stationary processes. The class of filters contains the fractional differencing operator and its coefficients decay at an algebraic rate, implying long‐range‐dependent properties for the filtered processes when the degree of integration α is positive. These include fractional time series which are nonstationary for any value of the memory parameter (α ≠ 0) and possibly nonstationary trending (α ≥ 0.5). We consider both fractional differencing or integration of weakly dependent and long‐memory stationary time series. The results obtained for the moments of the Fourier transform and the periodogram at Fourier frequencies in a degenerating band around the origin are weaker compared with the stationary nontruncated case for α > 0, but sufficient for the analysis of parametric and semiparametric memory estimates. They are applied to the study of the properties of the log‐periodogram regression estimate of the memory parameter α for Gaussian processes, for which asymptotic normality could not be showed using previous results. However, only consistency can be showed for the trending cases, 0.5 ≤ α < 1. Several detrending and initialization mechanisms are studied and only local conditions on spectral densities of stationary input series and transfer functions of filters are assumed.     

Practical improvements to autocovariance least‐squares

Identifying disturbance covariances from data is a critical step in estimator design and controller performance monitoring. Here, the autocovariance least‐squares (ALS) method for this identification is examined. For large industrial models with poorly observable states, the process noise covariance is high dimensional and the optimization problem is poorly conditioned. Also, weighting the least‐squares problem with the identity matrix does not provide minimum variance estimates. Here, ALS method to resolve these two challenges is modified. Poorly observable states using the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the observability matrix is identified and removed, thus decreasing the computational time. Using a new feasible‐generalized least‐squares estimator that approximates the optimal weighting from data, the variance of the estimates is significantly reduced. The new approach on industrial data sets provided by Praxair is successfully demonstrated. The disturbance model identified by the ALS method produces an estimator that performs optimally over a year‐long period. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1840–1855, 2015     

Statistical tests for a single change in mean against long‐range dependence

Statistical tests are introduced for distinguishing between short‐range dependent time series with a single change in mean, and long‐range dependent time series, with the former making the null hypothesis. The tests are based on estimation of the self‐similarity parameter after removing the change in mean from the series. The focus is on the GPH (Geweke and Porter‐Hudak, 1983) and local Whittle estimation methods in the spectral domain. Theoretical properties of the resulting estimators are established when testing for a single change in mean, and small sample properties of the tests are examined in simulations. The introduced tests improve on the BHKS ( Berkes et al., 2006 ) test which is the only other available test for the considered problem. It is argued that the BHKS test has a low power against long‐range dependence alternatives and that this happens because the BHKS test statistic involves estimation of the long‐run variance. The BHKS test could be improved readily by considering its R/S‐like regression version which estimates the self‐similarity parameter and which does not involve the long‐run variance. Yet better alternatives are to use more powerful estimation methods (such as GPH or local Whittle) and lead to the tests introduced here.     

Multivariate Wavelet Whittle Estimation in Long‐range Dependence

Multivariate processes with long‐range dependent properties are found in a large number of applications including finance, geophysics and neuroscience. For real‐data applications, the correlation between time series is crucial. Usual estimations of correlation can be highly biased owing to phase shifts caused by the differences in the properties of autocorrelation in the processes. To address this issue, we introduce a semiparametric estimation of multivariate long‐range dependent processes. The parameters of interest in the model are the vector of the long‐range dependence parameters and the long‐run covariance matrix, also called functional connectivity in neuroscience. This matrix characterizes coupling between time series. The proposed multivariate wavelet‐based Whittle estimation is shown to be consistent for the estimation of both the long‐range dependence and the covariance matrix and to encompass both stationary and nonstationary processes. A simulation study and a real‐data example are presented to illustrate the finite‐sample behaviour.     

Residuals‐based tests for the null of no‐cointegration: an Analytical comparison

Abstract. This article studies the asymptotic distribution of five residuals‐based tests for the null of no‐cointegration under a local alternative when the tests are computed using both ordinary least squares (OLS) and generalized least squares (GLS)‐detrended variables. The local asymptotic power of the tests is shown to be a function of Brownian motion and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes, depending on a single nuisance parameter, which is determined by the correlation at frequency zero of the errors of the cointegration regression with the shocks to the right‐hand side variables. The tests are compared in terms of power in large and small samples. It is shown that, while no significant improvement can be achieved by using unit root tests other than the OLS detrended t‐test originally proposed by Engle and Granger (1987), the power of GLS residuals tests can be higher than the power of system tests for some values of the nuisance parameter.     

GENERALIZED LEAST SQUARES ESTIMATION OF ARMA MODELS

Abstract. Two multistage methods for estimating scalar ARMA models are investigated. Both estimate innovations using an autoregression; these are used to obtain initial ARMA parameter estimates by regression and finally the initial estimates are refined by generalized least squares or nonlinear optimization to achieve efficiency. We provide a proof of the generalized least squares procedure.     

SIGNIFICANT VARIABLE SELECTION AND AUTOREGRESSIVE ORDER DETERMINATION FOR TIME‐SERIES PARTIALLY LINEAR MODELS

This paper is concerned with the regression coefficient and autoregressive order shrinkage and selection via the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) penalty for a partially linear model with time‐series errors. By combining the profile semi‐parametric least squares method and SCAD penalty technique, a new penalized estimation for the regression and autoregressive parameters in the model is proposed. We show that the asymptotic property of the resultant estimator is the same as if the order of autoregressive error structure and non‐zero regression coefficients are known in advance, thus achieving the oracle property in the sense of Fan and Li (2001). In addition, based on a prewhitening technique, we construct a two‐stage local linear estimator (TSLLE) for the non‐parametric component. It is shown that the TSLLE is more asymtotically efficient than the one that ignores the autoregressive time‐series error structure. Some simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure. An example of application on electricity usage data is also illustrated. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Publishing Ltd     

On a Semiparametric Data‐Driven Nonlinear Model with Penalized Spatio‐Temporal Lag Interactions

To study possibly nonlinear relationship between housing price index (HPI) and consumer price index (CPI) for individual states in the USA, accounting for the temporal lag interactions of the housing price in a given state and spatio‐temporal lag interactions between states could improve the accuracy of estimation and forecasting. There lacks, however, methodology to objectively identify and estimate such spatio‐temporal lag interactions. In this article, we propose a semiparametric data‐driven nonlinear time series regression method that accounts for lag interactions across space and over time. A penalized procedure utilizing adaptive Lasso is developed for the identification and estimation of important spatio‐temporal lag interactions. Theoretical properties for our proposed methodology are established under a general near epoch dependence structure and thus the results can be applied to a variety of linear and nonlinear time series processes. For illustration, we analyze the US housing price data and demonstrate substantial improvement in forecasting via the identification of nonlinear relationship between HPI and CPI as well as spatio‐temporal lag interactions.     

Gaussian Semiparametric Estimation of Non-stationary Time Series

Generalizing the definition of the memory parameter d in terms of the differentiated series, we showed in Velasco (Non-stationary log-periodogram regression, Forthcoming J. Economet. , 1997) that it is possible to estimate consistently the memory of non-stationary processes using methods designed for stationary long-range-dependent time series. In this paper we consider the Gaussian semiparametric estimate analysed by Robinson (Gaussian semiparametric estimation of long range dependence. Ann. Stat . 23 (1995), 1630–61) for stationary processes. Without a priori knowledge about the possible non-stationarity of the observed process, we obtain that this estimate is consistent for d ∈ (−½, 1) and asymptotically normal for d ∈ (−½,¾) under a similar set of assumptions to those in Robinson's paper. Tapering the observations, we can estimate any degree of non-stationarity, even in the presence of deterministic polynomial trends of time. The semiparametric efficiency of this estimate for stationary sequences also extends to the non-stationary framework.     

Averaged Periodogram Spectral Estimation with Long-memory Conditional Heteroscedasticity

The empirical relevance of long-memory conditional heteroscedasticity has emerged in a variety of studies of long time series of high frequency financial measurements. A reassessment of the applicability of existing semiparametric frequency domain tools for the analysis of time dependence and long-run behaviour of time series is therefore warranted. To that end, in this paper the averaged periodogram statistic is analysed in the framework of a generalized linear process with long-memory conditional heteroscedastic innovations according to a model specification first proposed by Robinson (Testing for strong serial correlation and dynamic conditional heteroscedasticity in multiple regression. J. Economet. 47 (1991), 67–84). It is shown that the averaged periodogram estimate of the spectral density of a short-memory process remains asymptotically normal with unchanged asymptotic variance under mild moment conditions, and that for strongly dependent processes Robinson's averaged periodogram estimate of long memory (Semiparametric analysis of long memory time series. Ann. Stat. 22 (1994), 515–39) remains consistent.     

Semiparametric Inference in Seasonal and Cyclical Long Memory Processes

Several semiparametric estimates of the memory parameter in standard long memory time series are now available. They consider only local behaviour of the spectrum near zero frequency, about which the spectrum is symmetric. However long-range dependence can appear as a spectral pole at any Nyqvist frequency (reflecting seasonal or cyclical long-memory), where the spectrum need display no such symmetry. We introduce Seasonal/Cyclical Asymmetric Long Memory (SCALM) processes that allow differing rates of increase on either side of such a pole. To estimate the two consequent memory parameters we extend two semiparametric methods that were proposed for the standard case of a spectrum diverging at the origin, namely the log-periodogram and Gaussian or Whittle methods. We also provide three tests of symmetry. Monte Carlo analysis of finite sample behaviour and an empirical application to UK inflation data are included. Our models and methods allow also for the possibility of negative dependence, described by a possibly asymmetric spectral zero.     

Implementing Residual‐Based KPSS Tests for Cointegration with Data Subject to Temporal Aggregation and Mixed Sampling Frequencies

We show how different data types (stocks and flows) and temporal aggregation affect the size and power of the dynamic ordinary least squares residual‐based Kwiatkowski–Phillips–Schmidt–Shin (KPSS) test of the null of cointegration. Size may be more effectively controlled by setting the minimum number of leads equal to one – as opposed to zero – when selecting the lag/lead order of the dynamic ordinary least squares regression using aggregated data, but at a cost to power. If high‐frequency data for one or more series are available – that is, the model has mixed sampling frequencies – we show how to effectively utilize the high‐frequency data to increase power while controlling size.     

Tests for Volatility Shifts in Garch Against Long‐Range Dependence

Many empirical findings show that volatility in financial time series exhibits high persistence. Some researchers argue that such persistency is due to volatility shifts in the market, while others believe that this is a natural fluctuation explained by stationary long‐range dependence models. These two approaches confuse many practitioners, and forecasts for future volatility are dramatically different depending on which models to use. In this article, therefore, we consider a statistical testing procedure to distinguish volatility shifts in generalized AR conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model against long‐range dependence. Our testing procedure is based on the residual‐based cumulative sum test, which is designed to correct the size distortion observed for GARCH models. We examine the validity of our method by providing asymptotic distributions of test statistic. Also, Monte Carlo simulations study shows that our proposed method achieves a good size while providing a reasonable power against long‐range dependence. It is also observed that our test is robust to the misspecified GARCH models.     

Explosive Random‐Coefficient AR(1) Processes and Related Asymptotics for Least‐Squares Estimation

Abstract. Large sample properties of the least‐squares and weighted least‐squares estimates of the autoregressive parameter of the explosive random‐coefficient AR(1) process are discussed. It is shown that, contrary to the standard AR(1) case, the least‐squares estimator is inconsistent whereas the weighted least‐squares estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal even when the error process is not necessarily Gaussian. Conditional asymptotics on the event that a certain limiting random variable is non‐zero is also discussed.     

Trimming and Tapering Semi‐Parametric Estimates in Asymmetric Long Memory Time Series

Abstract. This paper considers semi‐parametric frequency domain inference for seasonal or cyclical time series with asymmetric long memory properties. It is shown that tapering the data reduces the bias caused by the asymmetry of the spectral density at the cyclical frequency. We provide a joint treatment of different tapering schemes and of the log‐periodogram regression and Gaussian semi‐parametric estimates of the memory parameters. Tapering allows for a less restrictive trimming of frequencies for the analysis of the asymptotic properties of both estimates when allowing for asymmetries. Simple rules for inference are feasible thanks to tapering and their validity in finite samples is investigated in a simulation exercise and for an empirical example.     

Inference for pth‐order random coefficient integer‐valued autoregressive processes

Abstract. A pth‐order random coefficient integer‐valued autoregressive [RCINAR(p)] model is proposed for count data. Stationarity and ergodicity properties are established. Maximum likelihood, conditional least squares, modified quasi‐likelihood and generalized method of moments are used to estimate the model parameters. Asymptotic properties of the estimators are derived. Simulation results on the comparison of the estimators are reported. The models are applied to two real data sets.     

Likelihood‐based Analysis of a Class of Generalized Long‐Memory Time Series Models

Abstract. This article introduces a family of ‘generalized long‐memory time series models’, in which observations have a specified conditional distribution, given a latent Gaussian fractionally integrated autoregressive moving‐average (ARFIMA) process. The observations may have discrete or continuous distributions (or a mixture of both). The family includes existing models such as ARFIMA models themselves, long‐memory stochastic volatility models, long‐memory censored Gaussian models and others. Although the family of models is flexible, the latent long‐memory process poses problems for analysis. Therefore, we introduce a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling algorithm and develop a set of recursions which makes it feasible. This makes it possible, among other things, to carry out exact likelihood‐based analysis of a wide range of non‐Gaussian long‐memory models without resorting to the use of likelihood approximations. The procedure also yields predictive distributions that take into account model parameter uncertainty. The approach is demonstrated in two case studies.     

Asymptotic self‐similarity and wavelet estimation for long‐range dependent fractional autoregressive integrated moving average time series with stable innovations

Abstract. Methods for parameter estimation in the presence of long‐range dependence and heavy tails are scarce. Fractional autoregressive integrated moving average (FARIMA) time series for positive values of the fractional differencing exponent d can be used to model long‐range dependence in the case of heavy‐tailed distributions. In this paper, we focus on the estimation of the Hurst parameter H = d + 1/α for long‐range dependent FARIMA time series with symmetric α‐stable (1 < α < 2) innovations. We establish the consistency and the asymptotic normality of two types of wavelet estimators of the parameter H. We do so by exploiting the fact that the integrated series is asymptotically self‐similar with parameter H. When the parameter α is known, we also obtain consistent and asymptotically normal estimators for the fractional differencing exponent d = H ? 1/α. Our results hold for a larger class of causal linear processes with stable symmetric innovations. As the wavelet‐based estimation method used here is semi‐parametric, it allows for a more robust treatment of long‐range dependent data than parametric methods.     

Akaike’s information criterion correction for the least‐squares autoregressive spectral estimator

In this article we propose a new correction for the penalty term of the Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), when it is used in the context of order selection for an autoregressive fit of the spectral density of a stationary time series. The classical AIC penalty term may be viewed as an approximation of an appropriate target quantity. Simulations show that the quality of this approximation strongly depends on the type of autoregressive estimator used, as well as on the discrepancy used. Therefore here we consider the least squares autoregressive estimator and the Whittle discrepancy only. In this context we propose a closed formula correction of the AIC penalty term. We also develop asymptotic theory which justifies this proposal: an asymptotically valid second‐order expansion of a stochastic approximation of the target quantity. This expansion assumes a non‐parametric framework: it does not assume gaussianity of the process and only requires its spectral density to be smooth enough. Simulations show that, as compared to previously introduced corrections, this new correction performs similarly to finite sample information criterion, while they both outperform AIC corrected and AIC.     

Central limit theorems for nonparametric estimators with real‐time random variables

In this article, asymptotic theories for nonparametric methods are studied when they are applied to real‐time data. In particular, we derive central limit theorems for nonparametric density and regression estimators. For this we formally introduce a sequence of real‐time random variables indexed by a parameter related to fine gridding of time domain (or fine discretization). Our results show that the impact of fine gridding is greater in the density estimation case in the sense that strong dependence due to fine gridding severely affects the major strength of nonparametric density estimator (or its data‐adaptive property). In addition, we discuss some issues about nonparametric regression model with fine gridding of time domain.