We determine optimal designs for some regression models which are frequently used for describing 3D shapes. These models are based on a Fourier expansion of a function defined on the unit sphere in terms of spherical harmonic basis functions. In particular it is demonstrated that the uniform...

Since the second half of the nineties the euro area has been subject to a considerable accumulation of temporary and idiosyncratic price shocks. Core inflation indicators for the euro area are thus of utmost interest. Based on euro area-wide data core inflation in this paper is analyzed by means...

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a common procedure for the analysis of financial market data, such as implied volatility smiles or interest rate curves. Recently, Pelsser and Lord [11] raised the question whether PCA results may not be 'facts but artefacts'. We extend this line of research...

Reverse stress tests are a relatively new stress test instrument that aims at finding exactly those scenarios that cause a bank to cross the frontier between survival and default. Afterward, the scenario which is most probable has to be identified. This paper sketches a framework for a...

This paper evaluates the importance of building a composite metric of financial soundness for the private corporate sector in Colombia. Instead of relying on the individual and sometimes restrictive financial ratio analysis approach, the purpose of this document is to provide a single metric...

This paper projects the future of knowledge economy (KE) in SSA and MENA countries using the four components of the World Bank's Knowledge Economy Index (KEI): economic incentive, education, ICTs and innovation. The empirical evidence provides the speeds of integration as well as the time...

This article empirically estimates a micro-founded model with the aim to investigate the leading macroeconomic determinants and dynamics of financial deepening in the CEMAC sub-region. For this purpose, we adopted an empirical investigation in both static and dynamic panel data econometrics...

This paper examined how PWDs in the Philippines make a living and determined the factors that influenced them to select a particular labor market status and/or a source of personal income. It also analyzed the different types of work these PWDs engage in and their association with levels of...

In this paper, we focus on thorough yield curve modelling. We build on extended classical Nelson-Siegel model, which we further develop to accommodate unobserved regional common factors. We centre our discussion on Central European currencies' yield curves: CZK, HUF, PLN and SKK. We propose a...

In this paper, we conducted a detailed statistical analysis of the behavior of the Mexican CPI price variations from May 2003 to August 2006. Different methodologies allowed identification of possible classification problems of the subindexes and inflationary pressures on specific items during...