In this paper we consider the issue of testing a time series for a unit root in the possible presence of a break in a linear deterministic trend at some unknown point in the series. We propose a break fraction estimator which, in the presence of a break in trend, is consistent for the true break...

We consider testing for the presence of nonlinearities in the mean and/or trend of a time series, approximating the potential nonlinear behaviour using a Fourier function expansion. In contrast to procedures that are currently available, we develop tests that are robust to the order of...

In this paper we analyse the properties of the conventional Gaussian-based co-integrating rank tests of Johansen (1996) in the case where the vector of series under test is driven by possibly non-stationary, conditionally heteroskedastic (martingale difference) innovations. We first demonstrate...

The unrestricted estimator of the information matrix is shown to be inconsistent for an autoregressive process with a root lying in a neighbourhood of unity with radial length proportional or smaller than 1/n, i.e. a root that takes the form rho=1+c/n^alpha, alpha=1. In this case the information...

In this paper we focus on two major issues that surround testing for a unit root in practice, namely: (i) uncertainty as to whether or not a linear deterministic trend is present in the data, and (ii) uncertainty as to whether the initial condition of the process is (asymptotically) negligible...

A limit theory is developed for mildly explosive autoregression under both weakly and strongly dependent innovation errors. We find that the asymptotic behaviour of the sample moments is affected by the memory of the innovation process both in the in the form of the limiting distribution and, in...

In this paper we analyse the impact of non-stationary volatility on the recently developed unit root tests which allow for a possible break in trend occurring at an unknown point in the sample, considered in Harris, Harvey, Leybourne and Taylor (2009) [HHLT]. HHLT's analysis hinges on a new...

In this paper we consider the issue of testing for a unit root when it is uncertain as to whether or not a linear deterministic trend is present in the data. The Dickey-Fuller-type tests of Elliott, Rothenberg and Stock (1996), based on (local) GLS detrended (demeaned) data, are near...

In this paper we propose a test of the null hypothesis of time series linearity against a nonlinear alternative, when uncertainty exists as to whether or not the series contains a unit root. We provide a test statistic that has the same limiting null critical values regardless of whether the...

In this paper we show that panel unit root tests based on OLS detrending have inferior power relative to tests based on GLS detrending when the deviations of the initial observations from the deterministic components of the series are small. This ranking, however, is reversed for larger...