We present a new method for imposing and testing concavity of a cost function using asymptotic least squares, which can easily be implemented even for cost functions which are nonlinear in parameters. We provide an illustration on the basis of a (generalized) Box-Cox cost function with six...

Modern systems of official statistics require the timely estimation of area-specific densities of sub-populations. Ideally estimates should be based on precise geo-coded information, which is not available due to confidentiality constraints. One approach for ensuring confidentiality is by...

There has been increased interest in the use of "big data" when it comes to forecasting macroeconomic time series such as private consumption or unemployment. However, applications on forecasting GDP are rather rare. In this paper we incorporate Google search data into a Bridge Equation Model, a...

In dieser Untersuchung wird gezeigt, wie neuere ökonometrische Verfahren zur Modellierung und Prognose von Volatilitäten auf Aktienmärkten eingesetzt werden können. Hierzu werden verschiedene Varianten aus der Klasse der ARCH Modelle und das Markov-Mischungsmodell herangezogen. Die...

The transformation of area aggregates between non-hierarchical area systems is a standard problem of official statistics. We introduce a new method which is based on kernel density estimates. It is a modification of the SEM algorithm proposed by Gross et al. (2016), which was used for the...