The specification of prior parameters is a common practical problem when implementing Bayesian approaches to portfolio optimization. The precision parameter of the prior on the expected asset returns reflects the confidence of the investor in the prior knowledge. Within the framework of the...

We provide a Matlab quadratic optimization tool based on Markowitz's critical line algorithm that significantly outperforms standard software packages and a recently developed operations research algorithm. As an illustration: For a 2000 asset universe our method needs less than a second to...

In theory, investors choosing to invest only in socially responsible entities restrict their investment universe and should thus be penalized in a mean-variance framework. When computed, this penalty is usually viewed as valid for all socially responsible investors. This paper shows however that...

Propensity score matching is a prominent strategy to reduce imbalance in observational studies. However, if imbalance is considerable and the control reservoir is small, either one has to match one control to several treated units or, alternatively, discard many treated persons. The first...

This paper presents results concerning the size and power of first generation panel unit root and stationarity tests obtained from a large scale simulation study, with in total about 290 million test statistics computed. The tests developed in the following papers are included: Levin, Lin and...

It has been a conventional wisdom that the two-sample version of the goodness-of-fit test like the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Cramér-von Mises and Anderson-Darling tests fail to have good power particularly against very specific alternatives. We show that a modified version of Neyman Smooth test that...

The evaluation of interventions such as active labor market policies or medical programs by means of a randomized controlled trial is often considered the gold standard. However, randomized experiments might face severe shortcomings especially if performed at the group level. One such problem is...

The broader goal of this paper is to provide social researchers with some analytical guidelines when investigating structural equation models (SEM) with predominantly a formative specification. This research is the first to investigate the robustness and precision of parameter estimates of a...

This paper reports a study into the performance of currency-hedged portfolios constructed using mean-variance optimization methods. The method is to carry out optimization relative to a benchmark portfolio, which consists of the real assets, and simultaneously to determine the optimal exposures...

The volatility of currency exchange rates can be considered as an useful measure of uncertainty about the economic environment of a country.The paper aims to investigate the evolution of the daily RON/EURO exchange rate between January 5th, 2009 and October 12, 2012. Several appropriate models...