We propose new data-driven smooth tests for a parametric regression function. The smoothing parameter is selected through a new criterion that favors a large smoothing parameter under the null hypothesis. The resulting test is adaptive rate-optimal and consistent against Pitman local...

I examine the relative information roles among West Texas Intermediate spot crude price and four futures contracts (F1 through F4) with different maturities. Using a cointegrated system with a non-unitary cointegrating vector, I address price discovery by investigating which price is more...

Bayesian inference requires an analyst to set priors. Setting the right prior is crucial for precise forecasts. This paper analyzes how optimal prior changes when an economy is hit by a recession. For this task, an autoregressive distributed lag model is chosen. The results show that a sharp...

This paper discusses nonparametric kernel regression with the regressor being a \(d\)-dimensional \(\beta\)-null recurrent process in presence of conditional heteroscedasticity. We show that the mean function estimator is consistent with convergence rate \(\sqrt{n(T)h^{d}}\), where \(n(T)\) is...

This paper develops a new methodology that makes use of the factor structure of large dimensional panels to understand the nature of non-stationarity in the data. We refer to it as PANIC - a 'Panel Analysis of Non-stationarity in Idiosyncratic and Common components'. PANIC consists of univariate...

Many applied economists face problems in selecting an appropriate technique to estimate short and long run relationships with the time series methods. This paper reviews three alternative approaches viz., general to specific (GETS), vector autoregressions (VAR) and the vector error correction...

This is an exploratory study that attempts to identify and provide empirical evidence on the possible determinants of the market capitalisation of the Harare Stock Exchange (HSE) with the view of understanding the development prospects of the HSE and other similar markets. The study used...