This paper proposes a new approach to modeling volatility changes and clustering. In particular, we use a parsimonious high-order Markov chain which allows for duration dependence. As in the standard 1st-order Markov-switching model, this structure can capture turning points and shifts in...

This paper investigates if component GARCH models introduced by Engle and Lee(1999) and Ding and Granger(1996) can capture the long-range dependence observed in measures of time-series volatility. Long-range dependence is assessed through the sample autocorrelations, two popular semiparametric...

This thesis consists of three essays in empirical finance and macroeconomics. The first essay proposes a new structural-break vector autoregressive model for predicting real output growth by the nominal yield curve. The model allows for the possibility of both in-sample and out-of-sample breaks...

This thesis develops new hidden Markov models and applies them to financial marketand macroeconomic time series.Chapter 1 proposes a probabilistic model of the return distribution with rich andheterogeneous intra-regime dynamics. It focuses on the characteristics and dynamics of bear market...

Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) is a recent statistical procedure to sample from complex distributions. Distant proposal draws are taken in a equence of steps following the Hamiltonian dynamics of the underlying parameter space, often yielding superior mixing properties of the resulting Markov...