A consistent model specification test with mixed discrete and continuous data

In this paper we propose a nonparametric kernel-based model specification test that can be used when the regression model contains both discrete and continuous regressors. We employ discrete variable kernel functions and we smooth both the discrete and continuous regressors using least squares cross-validation (CV) methods. The test statistic is shown to have an asymptotic normal null distribution. We also prove the validity of using the wild bootstrap method to approximate the null distribution of the test statistic, the bootstrap being our preferred method for obtaining the null distribution in practice. Simulations show that the proposed test has significant power advantages over conventional kernel tests which rely upon frequency-based nonparametric estimators that require sample splitting to handle the presence of discrete regressors.     

An improved bootstrap test of stochastic dominance

We propose a new method of testing stochastic dominance that improves on existing tests based on the standard bootstrap or subsampling. The method admits prospects involving infinite as well as finite dimensional unknown parameters, so that the variables are allowed to be residuals from nonparametric and semiparametric models. The proposed bootstrap tests have asymptotic sizes that are less than or equal to the nominal level uniformly over probabilities in the null hypothesis under regularity conditions. This paper also characterizes the set of probabilities so that the asymptotic size is exactly equal to the nominal level uniformly. As our simulation results show, these characteristics of our tests lead to an improved power property in general. The improvement stems from the design of the bootstrap test whose limiting behavior mimics the discontinuity of the original test’s limiting distribution.     

Bootstrap testing for the null of no cointegration in a threshold vector error correction model

We develop a test for the linear no cointegration null hypothesis in a threshold vector error correction model. We adopt a sup-Wald type test and derive its null asymptotic distribution. A residual-based bootstrap is proposed, and the first-order consistency of the bootstrap is established. A set of Monte Carlo simulations shows that the bootstrap corrects size distortion of asymptotic distribution in finite samples, and that its power against the threshold cointegration alternative is significantly greater than that of conventional cointegration tests. Our method is illustrated with used car price indexes.     

The power of bootstrap and asymptotic tests

The bootstrap discrepancy measures the difference in rejection probabilities between a bootstrap test and one based on the true distribution. The order of magnitude of the bootstrap discrepancy is the same under the null hypothesis and under non-null processes described by Pitman drift. If the test statistic is not an exact pivot, critical values depend on which data-generating process (DGP) is used to determine the null distribution. We propose using the DGP which minimizes the bootstrap discrepancy. We also show that, under an asymptotic independence condition, the power of both bootstrap and asymptotic tests can be estimated cheaply by simulation.     

Testing cointegration relationship in a semiparametric varying coefficient model

In this paper, we develop two cointegration tests for two varying coefficient cointegration regression models, respectively. Our test statistics are residual based. We derive the asymptotic distributions of test statistics under the null hypothesis of cointegration and show that they are consistent against the alternative hypotheses. We also propose a wild bootstrap procedure companioned with the continuous moving block bootstrap method proposed in  Paparoditis and Politis (2001) and  Phillips (2010) to rectify severe distortions found in simulations when the sample size is small. We apply the proposed test statistic to examine the purchasing power parity (PPP) hypothesis between the US and Canada. In contrast to the existing results from linear cointegration tests, our varying coefficient cointegration test does not reject that PPP holds between the US and Canada.     

Testing parametric conditional distributions using the nonparametric smoothing method

This paper proposes a new goodness-of-fit test for parametric conditional probability distributions using the nonparametric smoothing methodology. An asymptotic normal distribution is established for the test statistic under the null hypothesis of correct specification of the parametric distribution. The test is shown to have power against local alternatives converging to the null at certain rates. The test can be applied to testing for possible misspecifications in a wide variety of parametric models. A bootstrap procedure is provided for obtaining more accurate critical values for the test. Monte Carlo simulations show that the test has good power against some common alternatives.     

External bootstrap tests for parameter stability

This article considers tests for parameter stability over time in general econometric models, possibly nonlinear-in-variables. Existing test statistics are commonly not asymptotically pivotal under nonstandard conditions. In such cases, the external bootstrap tests proposed in this paper are appealing from a practical viewpoint. We propose to use bootstrap versions of the asymptotic critical values based on a first-order asymptotic expansion of the test statistics under the null hypothesis, which consists of a linear transformation of the unobserved “innovations” partial sum process. The nature of these transformations under nonstandard conditions is discussed for the main testing principles. Also, we investigate the small sample performance of the proposed bootstrap tests by means of a small Monte Carlo experiment.     

Stationary bootstrapping for common mean change detection in cross-sectionally dependent panels

Stationary bootstrapping is applied to a CUSUM test for common mean break detection in cross-sectionally correlated panel data. Asymptotic null distribution of the bootstrapped test is derived, which is the same as that of the original CUSUM test depending on cross-sectional correlation parameter. A bootstrap test using the CUSUM test with bootstrap critical values is proposed and its asymptotic validity is proved. Finite sample Monte-Carlo simulation shows that the proposed test has reasonable size while other existing tests have severe size distortion under cross-section correlation. The simulation also shows good power performance of the proposed test against non-cancelling mean changes. The simulation also shows that the theoretically justified stationary bootstrapping CUSUM test has comparable size and power relative to other, theoretically unjustified, moving block or tapered block bootstrapping CUSUM tests.     

A consistent nonparametric test of parametric regression functional form in fixed effects panel data models

We propose a consistent test for a linear functional form against a nonparametric alternative in a fixed effects panel data model. We show that the test has a limiting standard normal distribution under the null hypothesis, and show that the test is a consistent test. We also establish the asymptotic validity of a bootstrap procedure which is used to better approximate the finite sample null distribution of the test statistic. Simulation results show that the proposed test performs well for panel data with a large number of cross-sectional units and a finite number of observations across time.     

A bootstrap-assisted spectral test of white noise under unknown dependence

To test for the white noise null hypothesis, we study the Cramér-von Mises test statistic that is based on the sample spectral distribution function. Since the critical values of the test statistic are difficult to obtain, we propose a blockwise wild bootstrap procedure to approximate its asymptotic null distribution. Using a Hilbert space approach, we establish the weak convergence of the difference between the sample spectral distribution function and the true spectral distribution function, as well as the consistency of bootstrap approximation under mild assumptions. Finite sample results from a simulation study and an empirical data analysis are also reported.     

Statistical inference on restricted partial linear regression models with partial distortion measurement errors

We consider the estimation and hypothesis testing problems for the partial linear regression models when some variables are distorted with errors by some unknown functions of commonly observable confounding variable. The proposed estimation procedure is designed to accommodate undistorted as well as distorted variables. To test a hypothesis on the parametric components, a restricted least squares estimator is proposed under the null hypothesis. Asymptotic properties for the estimators are established. A test statistic based on the difference between the residual sums of squares under the null and alternative hypotheses is proposed, and we also obtain the asymptotic properties of the test statistic. A wild bootstrap procedure is proposed to calculate critical values. Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed procedure, and a real example is analyzed for an illustration.     

On the comprehensive method of testing non-nested regression models

The paper derives the specific form of the exponentially combined likelihood function of two competing multivariate non-linear regression models and shows that the application of the comprehensive approach to testing non-nested regression models will, in general, be indeterminate. It establishes that in the univariate case there exists a large number of tests of non-nested regression models which are consistent in addition to having the same asymptotic distribution under the null hypothesis. The paper then derives a set of conditions under which all these consistent tests are asymptotically equivalent not only under the null hypothesis but also under local alternatives. As an application of this latter result the paper establishes the asymptotic equivalence of the tests recently proposed by Davidson and MacKinnon, and Fisher and McAleer under local alternatives, and shows that within the class of tests considered in the paper these proposed tests possess maximum local power. The latter test has this property only when the number of explanatory variables of the ‘true’ model is not more than that of the ‘false’ model.     

Likelihood based testing for no fractional cointegration

We consider two likelihood ratio tests, the so-called maximum eigenvalue and trace tests, for the null of no cointegration when fractional cointegration is allowed under the alternative, which is a first step to generalize the so-called Johansen’s procedure to the fractional cointegration case. The standard cointegration analysis only considers the assumption that deviations from equilibrium can be integrated of order zero, which is very restrictive in many cases and may imply an important loss of power in the fractional case. We consider the alternative hypotheses with equilibrium deviations that can be mean reverting with order of integration possibly greater than zero. Moreover, the degree of fractional cointegration is not assumed to be known, and the asymptotic null distribution of both tests is found when considering an interval of possible values. The power of the proposed tests under fractional alternatives and size accuracy provided by the asymptotic distribution in finite samples are investigated.     

Cross-sectional dependence robust block bootstrap panel unit root tests

In this paper we consider the issue of unit root testing in cross-sectionally dependent panels. We consider panels that may be characterized by various forms of cross-sectional dependence including (but not exclusive to) the popular common factor framework. We consider block bootstrap versions of the group-mean (Im et al., 2003) and the pooled (Levin et al., 2002) unit root coefficient DF tests for panel data, originally proposed for a setting of no cross-sectional dependence beyond a common time effect. The tests, suited for testing for unit roots in the observed data, can be easily implemented as no specification or estimation of the dependence structure is required. Asymptotic properties of the tests are derived for T going to infinity and N finite. Asymptotic validity of the bootstrap tests is established in very general settings, including the presence of common factors and cointegration across units. Properties under the alternative hypothesis are also considered. In a Monte Carlo simulation, the bootstrap tests are found to have rejection frequencies that are much closer to nominal size than the rejection frequencies for the corresponding asymptotic tests. The power properties of the bootstrap tests appear to be similar to those of the asymptotic tests.     

Functional coefficient regression models with time trend

We consider the problem of estimating a varying coefficient regression model when regressors include a time trend. We show that the commonly used local constant kernel estimation method leads to an inconsistent estimation result, while a local polynomial estimator yields a consistent estimation result. We establish the asymptotic normality result for the proposed estimator. We also provide asymptotic analysis of the data-driven (least squares cross validation) method of selecting the smoothing parameters. In addition, we consider a partially linear time trend model and establish the asymptotic distribution of our proposed estimator. Two test statistics are proposed to test the null hypotheses of a linear and of a partially linear time trend models. Simulations are reported to examine the finite sample performances of the proposed estimators and the test statistics.     

Exact and asymptotic tests for possibly non-regular hypotheses on stochastic volatility models

We study the problem of testing hypotheses on the parameters of one- and two-factor stochastic volatility models (SV), allowing for the possible presence of non-regularities such as singular moment conditions and unidentified parameters, which can lead to non-standard asymptotic distributions. We focus on the development of simulation-based exact procedures–whose level can be controlled in finite samples–as well as on large-sample procedures which remain valid under non-regular conditions. We consider Wald-type, score-type and likelihood-ratio-type tests based on a simple moment estimator, which can be easily simulated. We also propose a C(α)-type test which is very easy to implement and exhibits relatively good size and power properties. Besides usual linear restrictions on the SV model coefficients, the problems studied include testing homoskedasticity against a SV alternative (which involves singular moment conditions under the null hypothesis) and testing the null hypothesis of one factor driving the dynamics of the volatility process against two factors (which raises identification difficulties). Three ways of implementing the tests based on alternative statistics are compared: asymptotic critical values (when available), a local Monte Carlo (or parametric bootstrap) test procedure, and a maximized Monte Carlo (MMC) procedure. The size and power properties of the proposed tests are examined in a simulation experiment. The results indicate that the C(α)-based tests (built upon the simple moment estimator available in closed form) have good size and power properties for regular hypotheses, while Monte Carlo tests are much more reliable than those based on asymptotic critical values. Further, in cases where the parametric bootstrap appears to fail (for example, in the presence of identification problems), the MMC procedure easily controls the level of the tests. Moreover, MMC-based tests exhibit relatively good power performance despite the conservative feature of the procedure. Finally, we present an application to a time series of returns on the Standard and Poor’s Composite Price Index.     

Goodness-of-fit tests for long memory moving average marginal density

This paper addresses the problem of fitting a known density to the marginal error density of a stationary long memory moving average process when its mean is known and unknown. In the case of unknown mean, when mean is estimated by the sample mean, the first order difference between the residual empirical and null distribution functions is known to be asymptotically degenerate at zero, and hence can not be used to fit a distribution up to an unknown mean. In this paper we show that by using a suitable class of estimators of the mean, this first order degeneracy does not occur. We also investigate the large sample behavior of tests based on an integrated square difference between kernel type error density estimators and the expected value of the error density estimator based on errors. The asymptotic null distributions of suitably standardized test statistics are shown to be chi-square with one degree of freedom in both cases of the known and unknown mean. In addition, we discuss the consistency and asymptotic power against local alternatives of the density estimator based test in the case of known mean. A finite sample simulation study of the test based on residual empirical process is also included.     

Two applications of wild bootstrap methods to improve inference in cluster‐IV models

Microeconomic data often have within‐cluster dependence, which affects standard error estimation and inference. When the number of clusters is small, asymptotic tests can be severely oversized. In the instrumental variables (IV) model, the potential presence of weak instruments further complicates hypothesis testing. We use wild bootstrap methods to improve inference in two empirical applications with these characteristics. Building from estimating equations and residual bootstraps, we identify variants robust to the presence of weak instruments and a small number of clusters. They reduce absolute size bias significantly and demonstrate that the wild bootstrap should join the standard toolkit in IV and cluster‐dependent models.     

Testing for the bivariate Poisson distribution

This paper studies goodness-of-fit tests for the bivariate Poisson distribution. Specifically, we propose and study several Cramér–von Mises type tests based on the empirical probability generating function. They are consistent against fixed alternatives for adequate choices of the weight function involved in their definition. They are also able to detect local alternatives converging to the null at a certain rate. The bootstrap can be used to consistently estimate the null distribution of the test statistics. A simulation study investigates the goodness of the bootstrap approximation and compares their powers for finite sample sizes. Extensions for testing goodness-of-fit for the multivariate Poisson distribution are also discussed.     

Two-stage stationary bootstrapping for bivariate average realized volatility matrix under market microstructure noise and asynchronicity

Under the two important modern financial market features of noise and non-synchronicity for multiple assets, for consistent estimators of the integrated covariations, we adopt the two-time scale average realized volatility matrix (ARVM) which is a matrix extension of the two-time scale realized volatilities of Zhang et al. (2005). An asymptotic normal theory is provided for the two-time scale ARVM and resulting realized covariations. The asymptotic normality is not directly applicable in practice to construct statistical methods owning to nuisance parameters. To bypass the nuisance parameter problem, two-stage stationary bootstrapping is proposed. We establish consistencies of the bootstrap distributions, and construct confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for the integrated covariance, regression coefficient and correlation coefficient. The validity of the stationary bootstrap for the high frequency heterogeneous returns is proved by showing that there exist parameters of the stationary bootstrap blocks so that the bootstrap consistencies hold. The proposed bootstrap methods extend the i.i.d. bootstrapping methods for realized covariations by Dovonon et al. (2013), that are confined to synchronous noise-free sampling. For high frequency noisy asynchronous samples, a Monte-Carlo experiment shows better finite sample performances of the proposed stationary bootstrap methods based on the two-time scale ARVM estimator than the wild blocks of blocks bootstrap methods of Hounyo (2017), based on pre-averaged truncated estimator.