The use of recursive demeaning and detrending procedures in unit root tests has been popular in the literature, since they lead to more precise estimation of the persistence parameter and greater power in unit root tests. However, we find that unit root tests using these recursive procedures...

This paper proposes a test for linearity against exponential smooth transition models with endogenous right-hand-side variables: to the very best of our knowledge, this class of models is new to the literature. By Monte Carlo analysis the test is shown to have good finite sample properties.

This paper studies convergence in CO2emission intensity (CO2 emissions over GDP) among OECD countries over the period 1960-2008 based on its determinants, namely, energy intensity (energy consumption over GDP) and the so-called carbonisation index (CO2 emissions over energy consumption). We...

This paper proposes a couple of new methods to compute the news impact curve for stochastic volatility (SV) models. The new methods incorporate the joint movement of return and volatility, which has been ignored by the extant literature. The first method employs the Bayesian Markov chain Monte...

We examine the performance of nonlinear instrumental variable (NIV) unit root tests using various recursive detrending methods. We find that the NIV unit root tests using the recursive detrending method of Chang (2002) are the most powerful. They are more powerful than OLS based DF tests.

In this paper we extend the FMLS-based CUSUM cointegration test (Xiao and Phillips, 2002) for testing the smooth time-varying cointegration null hypothesis. For this purpose we use Chebyshev time polynomials to specify time-varying coefficients under the null. We derive the limiting distribution...

Prices that end with 9, also known as psychological price points, are common, comprising about 70% of the retail prices. They are also more rigid than other prices. We take advantage of a natural experiment to document an emergence of a new price ending that has the same effects as 9-endings. In...

We use micro level retail price data from convenience stores to study the link between 0-ending price points and price rigidity during a period of a runaway inflation, when the annual inflation rate was in the range of 60%–430%. Surprisingly, we find that more round prices are less likely to...

In the standard market-microstructure model of Glosten and Milgrom (1985), public information can have negative social value. Equivalently, an increase in informational asymmetry can raise the total surplus from trade.

Presenting a novel model of local shopping, the benefit of monopoly provision due to market size effects is explored. Prices are lower, variety and aggregate consumer surplus higher, than local shopping but many shoppers’ utility falls. Policymakers should take care.