Linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDE’s) and diffusion models are closely linked through the celebrated Feynman-Kac representation of solutions to PDE’s. In asset pricing theory, this leads to the representation of derivative prices as solutions to PDE’s. We give a number of...

In this paper we propose an estimation method for two classes of semiparametric scalar diffusion models driven by a Brownian motion: In the first class, only the diffusion term is parameterised while the drift is unspecified; in the second, the drift term is specified while the diffusion term is...

We propose a semiparametric single-factor diffusion model for the term structure of interest rate. The This model is highly flexible and encompasses most parametric single-factor models proposed in the literature. We fit the semiparametric model to a proxy of the Eurodollar short term interst...

This paper concerns the identification and estimation of a shape-invariant Engel curve system with endogenous total expenditure. The shape-invariant specification involves a common shift parameter for each demographic group in a pooled system of Engel curves. Our focus is on the identification...

This paper investigates the asymptotic properties of the Gaussian quasi-maximum-likelihood estimators (QMLE.s) of the GARCH model augmented by including an additional explanatory variable - the so-called GARCH-X model. The additional covariate is allowed to exhibit any degree of persistence as...

Many modern estimation methods in econometrics approximate an objective function, for instance, through simulation or discretization. These approximations typically affect both bias and variance of the resulting estimator. We provide a higher-order expansion of such 'approximate' estimators that...

A two-step estimation method of stochastic volatility models is proposed. In the first step, we nonparametrically estimate the (unobserved) instantaneous volatility process. In the second step, standard estimation methods for fully observed diffusion processes are employed, but with the...

New nonparametric methods that identify and estimate counterfactuals for individuals, when each is characterized by a vector of unobserved characteristics, are developed and applied to estimate systems of individual consumer demand and welfare measures. The unobserved characteristics are allowed...

We propose to combine smoothing, simulations and sieve approximations to solve for either the integrated or expected value function in a general class of dynamic discrete choice (DDC) models. We use importance sampling to approximate the Bellman operators defining the two functions. The random...