In this article we present a new model of the spot interest rate and a new method of estimation of nonlinear stochastic differential equations. We show how an integrated discrete time process in an econometric sense can be modelled by a continuous time ergodic process. We make an application to...

This paper analyzes the behavior of firms with defaulted credits in terms of recovery or extinction. By defining classes for the severity of default, survival models for the multiple transitions from each class are estimated. The models are used to simulate the evolution of a firm’s credit...

This paper discusses the asymptotic and finite-sample properties of CUSUM-based tests for detecting structural breaks in volatility in the presence of stochastic contamination, such as additive outliers or measurement errors. This analysis is particularly relevant for financial data, on which...

This study deals with two issues related to the determination of exchange rate bid-ask spreads in the transition to EMU. First, we discuss how a credible announcement of conversion rates affects exchange rate volatility in the run up to the introduction of the Euro. Second, we discuss the...

We provide new representations for the risk premium and expected exchange rate change. According to our representations they are a function of the term premium. In particular, we obtain that investors require higher interest rates on currencies expected to fall if the term premium is expected to...

We probe the idea that the 1992 currency crisis that affected several European countries was a contagious phenomenon. Using "spatial probit" models, we show that the currency crisis was indeed contagious, with the trade channel favored as the transmission channel. We also test the political...

We show how monetary aggregates can be usefully incorporated in forecasts of inflation. This requires fully disregarding the high-frequency fluctuations blurring the money/inflation relation, i.e., the projection of inflation onto monetary aggregates must be restricted to the low frequencies....

In this paper, we analyze the implications of price setting restrictions for the conduct of cyclical fiscal and monetary policy. We consider an environment with monopolistic competitive firms, a shopping time technology, prices set one period in advance, and government expenditures that must be...

In this paper we study the effects of quality change on the price index for new passenger cars in Portugal for the years 1997-2001. Hedonic regression models are studied, giving particular emphasis to the relation between the form of the price index and the specification of the hedonic equation...

This paper identifies the empirical stylized features of price setting behaviour in Portugal using the micro-datasets underlying the consumer and the producer price indexes. The main conclusions are the following: 1 in every 4 prices change each month; there is a considerable degree of...