This dissertation considers a local control function approach for the binary response model under endogeneity. The objective of the Smoothed Maximum Score estimator (SMSE)(Horowitz 1992) is modified by weighting the observations with a kernel. Under some mild regularity conditions similar in...

In GARCH models, neglecting parameter changes in the conditional volatility process results in biased estimation. The estimated sum of the autoregressive parameters of the conditional volatility converges to one. In Chapter 2, I analyze the effect of changes in the parameters of conditional...

This research is focused on models for volatility. After the introduction of realized volatility as a consistent estimator for daily volatility, time series models without latent variables have been used to model and forecast volatility. The first part of this research provides a critical review...

The development of cointegration theories and the presence of nonstationarity in time series raised serious concerns about possible spurious estimations in forest products models. Based on the results of Hsiao (1997a, 1997b), all the virtues of two-stage least square (2SLS) hold if there are...

This dissertation consists of three essays that focus on a Bayesian estimation of stochasticcost frontiers for electric generation plants. This research gives insight into the changingdevelopment of the electric generation market and could serve to inform both private investmentand public policy...

This study is mainly intended to determine quantitatively the economic effects of crawfish imports on the domestic crawfish industry. Inverse demand systems are used to estimate the price and scale flexibility as an indicator for the effects of imports on crawfish domestic price.A variety of...

This dissertation examines corporate use of derivative instruments and multi-period hedging methods. It studies the use of linear (e.g. futures) and nonlinear (e.g. options) derivatives in a sample of 382 U.S. non-financial firms (920 firm-year observations) between 1992 and 1996. It also...

EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY OF ALTERNATIVE IMPLEMENTATIONS OF NO-ARBITRAGE TERM STRUCTURE MODELS OF THE HEATH-JARROW-MORTON CLASSTae Young ParkAbstractModels of the term structure of interest rates play a central role in the modern theory of pricing bonds and other interest rate claims. Term...

The Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) model represents the latest in powerful arbitrage-free technology for modeling the term structure and managing interest rate risk. Yet risk management strategies in the form of immunization portfolios using duration, convexity, and M-square are still widely used in...

This dissertation consists of two chapters. The first chapter shows that the measurement errors in betas for stocks induce corresponding measurement errors in alphas and a spurious negative covariance between the estimated betas and alphas across stocks. This negative covariance between the...