The paper considers a neoclassical model set in the cost function approach to estimate primary Energy factor demands for the Italian economy, using a translog cost function specification. Cointegration theory is employed to estimate the long-run factor share model, and the general to specific...

In the paper we assess the convergence hypothesis for the Italian economy over the period 1951-2000, using a new methodological approach. The approach is based on a two-step recursive principal components estimator, allowing to monitor the progress of the convergence process over time and to...

In this paper we investigate the long-run growth process in Italy and the US over the period 1920-2001, using a common trends model. Coherent with the neoclassical growth model, we find that long-run economic growth can be explained by two permanent shocks, namely a technological shock and a...

The paper investigates linkages between general macroeconomic conditions and the housing market for the G-7 area. Among the key results of the paper, it is found that the US are an important source of global fluctuations not only for real activity, nominal variables and stock prices, but also...

In the paper a realized regression version of the Britten-Jones (1999) portfolio selection approach is proposed, yielding a conditional mean-variance efficient portfolio selection strategy. Application to euro area stock markets diversification, differently from other standard approaches,...

What explains the cross section of expected returns for the 25 size/value Fama-French portfolios? It is found that modelling time-varying betas is important to explain the cross-section of expected returns, as well as to comply with the time series restriction on Jensen-alpha. Support for a...

A strategy for estimating, filtering and forecasting time-varying factor betas is proposed. The approach is based on the multivariate realized regression principle, an omnibus noise filter and an adaptive long memory forecasting model. While the multivariate realized regression approach allows...

We estimate FIGARCH models with data sets of daily and thirty minute returns on the Deutsche mark-US dollar exchange rate. The results point to the importance of accurately modelling the persistence properties of volatility in terms of structural breaks and long memory, and controlling for...

What are the causes of exchange rate volatility? When second moments implications of theories of exchange rates determination are considered, long-term fundamental linkages between macroeconomic and exchange rate volatility can be envisaged. Moreover, as the exchange rate is an important...

This paper introduces a new long memory volatility process, denoted by Adaptive FIGARCH, or A-FIGARCH, which is designed to account for both long memory and structural change in the conditional variance process. Structural change is modeled by allowing the intercept to follow a smooth...