An ongoing stream in financial analysis proposes mean-semivariance in place of mean-variance as an alternative approach to portfolio selection, since segments of investors are more averse to returns below the mean value than to deviations above and below the mean value. Accordingly, this paper...

The maximum likelihood (ML) method, based on the normal distribution assumption, is widely used in mean and covariance structure analysis. With typical nonnormal data, the ML method will lead to biased statistics and inappropriate scientific conclusions. This article develops a simple but...

The paradigm of a factor model is very appealing and has been used extensively in economic analyses. Underlying the factor model is the idea that a large number of economic variables can be adequately modelled by a small number of indicator variables. Throughout this extensive research activity...

This paper presents a statistical and economic interpretation of the low and often economically implausible risk aversion estimates obtained for fixed income assets throughout the finance literature. For a statistical interpretation, Monte Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate that...

The paradigm of a factor model is very appealing and has been used extensively in economic analyses. Underlying the factor model is the idea that a large number of economic variables can be adequately modelled by a small number of indicator variables. Throughout this extensive research activity...

Datasets in a variety of disciplines require methods where both the sample size and the dataset dimensionality are allowed to be large. This framework is drastically different from the classical asymptotic framework where the number of observations is allowed to be large but the dimensionality...