The accuracy of technical efficiency measures is important given the interest in such measures in policy discussions. In recent years the use of stochastic frontiers has become popular for estimating technical inefficiency, but estimated inefficiencies are sensitive to specification errors. One...

In this paper, we re-examine two important aspects of the dynamics of relative primary commodity prices, namely the secular trend and the short run volatility. To do so, we employ 25 series, some of them starting as far back as 1650 and powerful panel data stationarity tests that allow for...

In this paper, we re-examine two important aspects of the dynamics of relative primary commodity prices, namely the secular trend and the short run volatility. To do so, we employ 25 series, some of them starting as far back as 1650 and powerful panel data stationarity tests that allow for...

In this paper, we re-examine two important aspects of the dynamics of rel- ative primary commodity prices, namely the secular trend and the short run volatility. To do so, we employ 25 series, some of them starting as far back as 1650 and powerful panel data stationarity tests that allow for...

This paper examines the ability of two recent approaches to estimate implied risk neutral probability density functions (RNDs) - the smoothed implied volatility smile method (SML) and the density functionals based on the confluent hypergeometric functions (DFCH) from the prices of European-style...

This paper develops a simple test for the null hypothesis of no unit root for panel data with cross-sectional dependence in the form of a common factor in the disturbance. We do not estimate the common factor but mop-up its effect by employing the same method as the one proposed in Pesaran...