So-called pair copula constructions (PCCs), specifying multivariate distributions only in terms of bivariate building blocks (pair copulas), constitute a flexible class of dependence models. To keep them tractable for inference and model selection, the simplifying assumption, that copulas of...

This chapter discusses estimation, specification testing, and model selection of predictive density models. In particular, predictive density estimation is briefly discussed, and a variety of different specification and model evaluation tests due to various authors including Christoffersen and...

This study employs a flexible regime-switching EGARCH model with Student-t distributed error terms to investigate whether volatility regimes and basis affect the behavior of crude oil futures returns, including the conditional mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis as well as the extent of...

We propose a new approach to the higher-moment tests for evaluating the standardized error distribution hypothesis of a conditional mean-and-variance model (such as a GARCH-type model). Our key idea is to purge the effect of estimating the conditional mean-and-variance parameters on the...

We propose a general class of models and a unified Bayesian inference methodology for flexibly estimating the density of a response variable conditional on a possibly high-dimensional set of covariates. Our model is a finite mixture of component models with covariate-dependent mixing weights....

Empirical studies point to negative crop yield skewness, but the literature provides few clear insights as to why. This paper formalizes three points on the matter. Statistical laws on aggregates do not imply a normal distribution. Whenever the weather-conditioned mean yield has diminishing...