Affine Term-Structure Models: Theory and Implementation Staff Working Paper 2001-15 David Bolder Affine models describe the stylized time-series properties of the term structure of interest rates in a reasonable manner, they generalize relatively easily to higher dimensions, and a vast academic literature exists relating to their implementation. This combination of characteristics makes the affine class a natural introductory point for modelling interest rate dynamics. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C0, C5, G, G0
Evaluating Linear and Non-Linear Time-Varying Forecast-Combination Methods Staff Working Paper 2001-12 Fuchun Li, Greg Tkacz This paper evaluates linear and non-linear forecast-combination methods. Among the non-linear methods, we propose a nonparametric kernel-regression weighting approach that allows maximum flexibility of the weighting parameters. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C1, C14, C5, C53, E, E2, E27
Testing for a Structural Break in the Volatility of Real GDP Growth in Canada Staff Working Paper 2001-9 Alexandre Debs This study tests for a structural break in the volatility of real GDP growth in Canada following the methodology of McConnell and Quiros (1998). A break is found in the first quarter of 1991. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, E, E3, E32
On the Nature and the Stability of the Canadian Phillips Curve Staff Working Paper 2001-4 Maral Kichian This paper empirically determines why, during the 1990s, inflation in Canada was consistently more stable than predicted by the fixed-coefficients Phillips curve. A time-varying-coefficient model, where all the parameters adjust simultaneously, shows that the behaviour of expectations was probably a major contributing factor. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Econometric and statistical methods, Inflation and prices JEL Code(s): E, E3, E37
Exact Non-Parametric Tests for a Random Walk with Unknown Drift under Conditional Heteroscedasticity Staff Working Paper 2001-2 Richard Luger This paper proposes a class of linear signed rank statistics to test for a random walk with unknown drift in the presence of arbitrary forms of conditional heteroscedasticity. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, C2, C22
Fractional Cointegration and the Demand for M1 Staff Working Paper 2000-13 Greg Tkacz Using wavelets, the author estimates the fractional order of integration of a common long-run money-demand relationship whose parameters are obtained from a full-information maximum-likelihood procedure. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Monetary aggregates JEL Code(s): C, C1, C13, E, E4, E41
Testing the Pricing-to-Market Hypothesis: Case of the Transportation Equipment Industry Staff Working Paper 2000-8 Lynda Khalaf, Maral Kichian Pricing-to-market (PTM) theory suggests that monopolistic firms which export adjust their destination-specific markups in reaction to exchange rate shocks. These adjustments limit changes in the price of their exports. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, C15, L, L1, L11, L16
Estimating the Fractional Order of Integration of Interest Rates Using a Wavelet OLS Estimator Staff Working Paper 2000-5 Greg Tkacz The debate on the order of integration of interest rates has long focused on the I(1) versus I(0) distinction. In this paper, we use instead the wavelet OLS estimator of Jensen (1999) to estimate the fractional integration parameters of several interest rates for the United States and Canada from 1948 to 1999. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C1, C13, E, E4, E43
GAUSS™ Programs for the Estimation of State-Space Models with ARCH Errors: A User's Guide Staff Working Paper 2000-2 Maral Kichian State-space models have long been popular in explaining the evolution of various economic variables. This is mainly because they generally have more economic content than do others in their class of parsimonious models (for example, VARs). Yet, in spite of their advantages, use of these models until recently was limited by the assumption that all […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C3, C32, C8, C82, C87, C89
Pricing Interest Rate Derivatives in a Non-Parametric Two-Factor Term-Structure Model Staff Working Paper 1999-19 John Knight, Fuchun Li, Mingwei Yuan Diffusion functions in term-structure models are measures of uncertainty about future price movements and are directly related to the risk associated with holding financial securities. Correct specification of diffusion functions is crucial in pricing options and other derivative securities. In contrast to the standard parametric two-factor models, we propose a non-parametric two-factor term-structure model that […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): C, C1, C14, C2, C22, G, G1, G13