The impact of violent conflict on the state of the economy has been studied extensively since the two recent decades. In most studies the state of the economy is operationalized by stock market indices of the respective countries. In this paper we suggest investigating the impact of violent...

Copulas have become an important analytic tool for characterizing multivariate distributions and dependence. One is often interested in simulating data from copula estimates. The process can be analytically and computationally complex and usually involves steps that are unique to a given...

In the US forestry industry, wildre has always been one of the leading causes of damage. This topic is of growing interest as wildre has caused huge losses in recent years. Among all causes, lightning has always been the leading hazard. Unlike human related wildres for which timber owners may be...

An extensive empirical literature addressing the behavior of prices over time and across spatially distinct markets has grown substantially over time. A fundamental axiom of economics|the Law of One Price"|underlies the arbi- trage behavior thought to characterize such relationships. This...

In this study, we develop a new approach to investigate spatial market integration. In particular, it is a Markov-Switching autoregressive (MSAR) model with time-varying state transition probabilities. Studying market integration is an effective way to test whether the law of one price holds...

In this study, we propose a new approach to estimating optimal dynamic cross-hedge ratios. In particular, we apply copula models to discuss the use of corn futures contracts to cross hedge grain sorghum, and the use of Kansas wheat futures contracts to cross hedge barley. Hedge (or cross-hedge)...

We pursue two distinct approaches to measuring the stability and validity of conventional approaches to measuring acreage response. Our focus is on corn and soybeans, which have perhaps been the most significantly impacted of the main commodities by market and policy changes. As noted, much of...

An extensive empirical literature has examined the behavior of crop yields over time. Corn yields have been characterized by signficant increases reflecting an array of technological developments that have substantially boosted productivity. While much of the focus has been on modeling...