Asymptotic properties of the harmonic moment tail index Estimator are derived for distributions with regularly varying tails. The estimator shows good robustness properties and stands out for its simplicity. A tuning parameter allows for regulating the trade-off between robustness and...

The empirical evidence of heavy tails in stock return data is recognised by risk managers as an important factor in assessing the Value-at-Risk and risk profile of investment portfolios. Tail index estimation appears to be a tailor-made tool for estimating the extreme quantiles of heavy tailed...

This paper explores tests of the hypothesis that the tail thickness of a distribution is constant over time. Using Hill's conditional maximum likelihood estimator for the tail index of a distribution, tests of tail shape constancy are constructed that allow for an unknown breakpoint. The...

A new approach to tail index estimation based on huberization of the Pareto MLE is considered. The proposed estimator is robust in a nonstandard way in that it protects against deviations from the central model at low quantiles. Asymptotic normality with the parametric n-rate of convergence is...