Inference for Diffusion Processes


Book Description

Diffusion processes are a promising instrument for realistically modelling the time-continuous evolution of phenomena not only in the natural sciences but also in finance and economics. Their mathematical theory, however, is challenging, and hence diffusion modelling is often carried out incorrectly, and the according statistical inference is considered almost exclusively by theoreticians. This book explains both topics in an illustrative way which also addresses practitioners. It provides a complete overview of the current state of research and presents important, novel insights. The theory is demonstrated using real data applications.




Applied Stochastic Differential Equations


Book Description

Stochastic differential equations are differential equations whose solutions are stochastic processes. They exhibit appealing mathematical properties that are useful in modeling uncertainties and noisy phenomena in many disciplines. This book is motivated by applications of stochastic differential equations in target tracking and medical technology and, in particular, their use in methodologies such as filtering, smoothing, parameter estimation, and machine learning. It builds an intuitive hands-on understanding of what stochastic differential equations are all about, but also covers the essentials of Itô calculus, the central theorems in the field, and such approximation schemes as stochastic Runge–Kutta. Greater emphasis is given to solution methods than to analysis of theoretical properties of the equations. The book's practical approach assumes only prior understanding of ordinary differential equations. The numerous worked examples and end-of-chapter exercises include application-driven derivations and computational assignments. MATLAB/Octave source code is available for download, promoting hands-on work with the methods.




Econometric Methods and Their Applications in Finance, Macro and Related Fields


Book Description

The volume aims at providing an outlet for some of the best papers presented at the 15th Annual Conference of the African Econometric Society, which is one of the OC chaptersOCO of the International Econometric Society. Many of these papers represent the state of the art in financial econometrics and applied econometric modeling, and some also provide useful simulations that shed light on the models'' ability to generate meaningful scenarios for forecasting and policy analysis. Contents: Financial Econometrics and International Finance: Modeling Interest Rates Using Reducible Stochastic Differential Equations: A Copula-Based Multivariate Approach (Ruijun Bu, Ludovic Giet, Kaddour Hadri and Michel Lubrano); Financial Risk Management Using Asymmetric Heavy-Tailed Distribution and Nonlinear Dependence Structures of Asset Returns Under Discontinuous Dynamics (Alaa El-Shazly); Modeling Time-Varying Dependence in the Term Structure of Interest Rates (Diaa Noureldin); Nonlinear Filtering and Market Implied Rating for a Jump-Diffusion Structural Model of Credit Risk (Alaa El-Shazly); Time-Varying Optimal Weights for International Asset Allocation in African and South Asian Markets (Dalia El-Edel); Econometric Theory and Methods: Econometric Methods for Ordered Responses: Some Recent Developments (Franco Peracchi); Which Quantile Is the Most Informative? Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Entropy and Quantile Regression (Anil K Bera, Antonio F Galvao Jr., Gabriel V Montes-Rojas, Sung Y Park); The Experimetrics of Fairness (Anna Conte and Peter Moffatt); Uniform in Bandwidth Tests of Specification for Conditional Moment Restrictions Models (Pascal Lavergne and Pierre Nguimkeu); Joint LM Test for Homoscedasticity in a Two Way Error Components Model (Eugene Kouassi, Joel Sango, J M BossonBrou and Kern O Kymn); An Approximation to the Distribution of the Pooled Estimator When the Time Series Equation Is One of a Complete System (Ghazal Amer and William Mikhail); Monetary, Labor, Environmental and Other Econometric Applications: Monetary Policy and the Role of the Exchange Rate in Egypt (Tarek Morsi and Mai El-Mossallamy); International Migration, Remittances and Household Poverty Status in Egypt (Rania Roushdy, Ragui Assaad and Ali Rashed); Determinants of Job Quality and Wages of the Working Poor: Evidence From 1998OCo2006 Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey (Mona Said); A Contract-Theoretic Model of Conservation Agreements (Heidi Gjertsen, Theodore Groves, David A Miller, Eduard Niesten, Dale Squires and Joel Watson); Household Environment and Child Health in Egypt (Mahmoud Hailat and Franco Peracchi); Modeling the Relationship between Natural Resource Abundance, Economic Growth, and the Environment: A Cross-Country Study (Hala Abou-Ali and Yasmine M Abdelfattah); Global Cement Industry: Competitive and Institutional Frameworks (Tarek H Selim and Ahmed S Salem); On the Occurrence of Ponzi Schemes in Presence of Credit Restrictions Penalizing Default (Abdelkrim Seghir); Is Targeted Advertising Always Beneficial? (Nada Ben Elhadj-Ben Brahim, Rim Lahmandi-Ayed and Didier Laussel). Readership: Graduate students and researchers in the fields of econometrics, economic theory, applied econometrics.




Handbook of Financial Time Series


Book Description

The Handbook of Financial Time Series gives an up-to-date overview of the field and covers all relevant topics both from a statistical and an econometrical point of view. There are many fine contributions, and a preamble by Nobel Prize winner Robert F. Engle.




Risk-Neutral Valuation


Book Description

This second edition - completely up to date with new exercises - provides a comprehensive and self-contained treatment of the probabilistic theory behind the risk-neutral valuation principle and its application to the pricing and hedging of financial derivatives. On the probabilistic side, both discrete- and continuous-time stochastic processes are treated, with special emphasis on martingale theory, stochastic integration and change-of-measure techniques. Based on firm probabilistic foundations, general properties of discrete- and continuous-time financial market models are discussed.




Financial Economics


Book Description

A comprehensive reference for financial economics, balancing theoretical explanations, empirical evidence, and the practical relevance of knowledge in the field. This volume offers a comprehensive, integrated treatment of financial economics, tracking the major milestones in the field and providing methodological tools. Doing so, it balances theoretical explanations, empirical evidence, and practical relevance. It illustrates nearly a century of theoretical advances with a vast array of models, showing how real phenomena (and, at times, market practice) have helped economists reformulate existing theories. Throughout, the book offers examples and solved problems that help readers understand the main lessons conveyed by the models analyzed. The book provides a unique and authoritative reference for the field of financial economics. Part I offers the foundations of the field, introducing asset evaluation, information problems in asset markets and corporate finance, and methods of statistical inference. Part II explains the main empirical facts and the challenges these pose for financial economists, which include excess price volatility, market liquidity, market dysfunctionalities, and the countercyclical behavior of market volatility. Part III covers the main instruments that protect institutions against the volatilities and uncertainties of capital markets described in part II. Doing so, it relies on models that have become the market standard, and incorporates practices that emerged from the 2007–2008 financial crisis.




Nonparametric Econometric Methods


Book Description

Contains a selection of papers presented initially at the 7th Annual Advances in Econometrics Conference held on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during November 14-16, 2008. This work is suitable for those who wish to familiarize themselves with nonparametric methodology.




Numerical Solution of Stochastic Differential Equations with Jumps in Finance


Book Description

In financial and actuarial modeling and other areas of application, stochastic differential equations with jumps have been employed to describe the dynamics of various state variables. The numerical solution of such equations is more complex than that of those only driven by Wiener processes, described in Kloeden & Platen: Numerical Solution of Stochastic Differential Equations (1992). The present monograph builds on the above-mentioned work and provides an introduction to stochastic differential equations with jumps, in both theory and application, emphasizing the numerical methods needed to solve such equations. It presents many new results on higher-order methods for scenario and Monte Carlo simulation, including implicit, predictor corrector, extrapolation, Markov chain and variance reduction methods, stressing the importance of their numerical stability. Furthermore, it includes chapters on exact simulation, estimation and filtering. Besides serving as a basic text on quantitative methods, it offers ready access to a large number of potential research problems in an area that is widely applicable and rapidly expanding. Finance is chosen as the area of application because much of the recent research on stochastic numerical methods has been driven by challenges in quantitative finance. Moreover, the volume introduces readers to the modern benchmark approach that provides a general framework for modeling in finance and insurance beyond the standard risk-neutral approach. It requires undergraduate background in mathematical or quantitative methods, is accessible to a broad readership, including those who are only seeking numerical recipes, and includes exercises that help the reader develop a deeper understanding of the underlying mathematics.




Frontiers In Statistics


Book Description

During the last two decades, many areas of statistical inference have experienced phenomenal growth. This book presents a timely analysis and overview of some of these new developments and a contemporary outlook on the various frontiers of statistics.Eminent leaders in the field have contributed 16 review articles and 6 research articles covering areas including semi-parametric models, data analytical nonparametric methods, statistical learning, network tomography, longitudinal data analysis, financial econometrics, time series, bootstrap and other re-sampling methodologies, statistical computing, generalized nonlinear regression and mixed effects models, martingale transform tests for model diagnostics, robust multivariate analysis, single index models and wavelets.This volume is dedicated to Prof. Peter J Bickel in honor of his 65th birthday. The first article of this volume summarizes some of Prof. Bickel's distinguished contributions.