We demonstrate that the lowest possible price change (tick-size) has a large impact on the structure of financial return distributions. It induces a microstructure as well as possibly altering the tail behavior. On small return intervals, the tick-size can distort the calculation of...

We present a method to compensate statistical errors in the calculation of correlations on asynchronous time series. The method is based on the assumption of an underlying time series. We set up a model and apply it to financial data to examine the decrease of calculated correlations towards...

We analyze the statistical dependence structure of the S&P 500 constituents in the 4-year period from 2007 to 2010 using intraday data from the New York Stock Exchange’s TAQ database. Instead of using a given parametric copula with a predetermined shape, we study the empirical pairwise copula...

We set up a structural model to study credit risk for a portfolio containing several or many credit contracts. The model is based on a jump-diffusion process for the risk factors, i.e. for the company assets. We also include correlations between the companies. We discuss that models of this type...

The measurement of correlations between financial time series is of vital importance for risk management. In this paper we address an estimation error that stems from the non-stationarity of the time series. We put forward a method to rid the time series of local trends and variable volatility,...

This paper examines whether we can improve the predictability of financial return series by exploiting the effect of cross-correlations among different financial markets. We forecast financial return series based on the support vector machines (SVM) method, which can surpass the random-walk...

The unique scaling behavior of financial time series have attracted the research interest of physicists. Variables such as stock returns, share volume, and number of trades have been found to display distributions that are consistent with a power-law tail. We present an overview of recent...

We develop a scale-invariant truncated Lévy (STL) process to describe physical systems characterized by correlated stochastic variables. The STL process exhibits Lévy stability for the probability density, and hence shows scaling properties (as observed in empirical data); it has the advantage...

We discuss the possible utility of statistical physics in elucidating some of the puzzling phenomena that seem to occur in the brains of patients affected with Alzheimer’s disease. Further, we report three specific results from this approach: (i) The size distribution of senile plaques appears...

We present numerical simulations of two-dimensional models of electric breakdown and fracture in disordered systems subject to an increasing external stress. We provide a geometrical characterization of the damage by studying the scaling behavior of connected bonds clusters. The average cluster...