The inefficiency term in stochastic frontier models is usually assumed to have positive skewness; but when this assumption is not met, efficiency scores are overestimated. Potential endogeneity of model regressors poses an additional empirical challenge and greatly hinders identification of...

We introduce a Bayesian approach to predictive density calibration and combination that accounts for parameter uncertainty and model set incompleteness through the use of random calibration functionals and random combination weights. Building on the work of Ranjan and Gneiting (2010) and...

Market option prices in last 20 years confirmed deviations from the Black and Scholes (BS) models assumptions, especially on the BS implied volatility. Implied binomial trees (IBT) models capture the variations of the implied volatility known as "volatility smile". They provide a discrete...

Keynes (1911) derived general forms of probability density functions for which the “most probable value” is given by the arithmetic mean, the geometric mean, the harmonic mean, or the median. His approach was based on indirect (i.e., posterior) distributions and used a constant prior...

We introduce a new 5-parameter family of distributions, the Asymmetric Exponential Power (AEP), able to cope with asymmetries and leptokurtosis and at the same time allowing for a continuous variation from non-normality to normality. We prove that the Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimates of the AEP...

It is well-known in empirical nance that virtually all asset returns, whether monthly, daily, or intraday, are heavy-tailed and, particularly for stock returns, are mildly but often signi cantly negatively skewed. However, the tail indices, or maximally existing moments of the returns, can di er...

The estimation of multivariate GARCH models remains a challenging task, even in modern computer environments. This manuscript shows how Independent Component Analysis can be used to estimate the Generalized Orthogonal GARCH model in a fraction of the time otherwise required. The proposed method...

Values of tranche spreads of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) are driven by the joint default performance of the assets in the collateral pool. The dependence between the names in the portfolio mainly depends on current economic conditions. Therefore, a correlation implied from tranches...