This paper proposes the Student's t Dynamic Linear Regression (St-DLR) model as an alternative to the various extensions/modifications of the ARCH type volatility model. The St-DLR differs from the latter models of volatility because it can incorporate exogenous variables in the conditional...

The unit root revolution in time series modeling has created substantial interest in non-stationarity and its implications for empirical modeling. Beyond the original interest in trend vs.di¤erence non-stationarity, there has been renewed interest in testing and modeling structuralbreaks. The...

Most of empirical modeling involves the use of Ordinary Least Squares regression where the residuals are assumed normal, independent, and identically distributed. In finite samples, these assumptions becomes critical for accurate estimations, however, in macroeconomics in particular, these...

This dissertation is an investigation into the determinants of demand for service contracts on new vehicles. In the first chapter, I characterize the consumer decision to buy a service contract with a discrete choice model. Hypotheses and conjectures are tested empirically using survey data from...