Forecasting Financial Time Series Using Model Averaging

Forecasting Financial Time Series Using Model Averaging
Author: Francesco Ravazzolo
Publisher: Rozenberg Publishers
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2007
Genre:
ISBN: 9051709145

Believing in a single model may be dangerous, and addressing model uncertainty by averaging different models in making forecasts may be very beneficial. In this thesis we focus on forecasting financial time series using model averaging schemes as a way to produce optimal forecasts. We derive and discuss in simulation exercises and empirical applications model averaging techniques that can reproduce stylized facts of financial time series, such as low predictability and time-varying patterns. We emphasize that model averaging is not a "magic" methodology which solves a priori problems of poorly forecasting. Averaging techniques have an essential requirement: individual models have to fit data. In the first section we provide a general outline of the thesis and its contributions to previ ous research. In Chapter 2 we focus on the use of time varying model weight combinations. In Chapter 3, we extend the analysis in the previous chapter to a new Bayesian averaging scheme that models structural instability carefully. In Chapter 4 we focus on forecasting the term structure of U.S. interest rates. In Chapter 5 we attempt to shed more light on forecasting performance of stochastic day-ahead price models. We examine six stochastic price models to forecast day-ahead prices of the two most active power exchanges in the world: the Nordic Power Exchange and the Amsterdam Power Exchange. Three of these forecasting models include weather forecasts. To sum up, the research finds an increase of forecasting power of financial time series when parameter uncertainty, model uncertainty and optimal decision making are included.

Maintenance models for systems subject to measurable deterioration

Maintenance models for systems subject to measurable deterioration
Author: Robin Pieter Nicolai
Publisher: Rozenberg Publishers
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2008
Genre: Banks and banking, Central
ISBN: 9051709978

Complex engineering systems such as bridges, roads, flood defence structures, and power pylons play an important role in our society. Unfortunately such systems are subject to deterioration, meaning that in course of time their condition falls from higher to lower, and possibly even to unacceptable, levels. Maintenance actions such as inspection, local repair and replacement should be done to retain such systems in or restore them to acceptable operating conditions. After all, the economic consequences of malfunctioning infrastructure systems can be huge. In the life-cycle management of engineering systems, the decisions regarding the timing and the type of maintenance depend on the temporal uncertainty associated with the deterioration. Hence it is of importance to model this uncertainty. In the literature, deterioration models based on Brownian motion and gamma process have had much attention, but a thorough comparison of these models lacks. In this thesis both models are compared on several aspects, both in a theoretical as well as in an empirical setting. Moreover, they are compared with physical process models, which can capture structural insights into the underlying process. For the latter a new framework is developed to draw inference. Next, models for imperfect maintenance are investigated. Finally, a review is given for systems consisting of multiple components.

Come Close and Co-create

Come Close and Co-create
Author: Sandra Phlippen
Publisher: Rozenberg Publishers
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2008
Genre: Pharmaceutical industry
ISBN: 9051709188

Access to relevant external knowledge is crucial for a firms' competitiveness in innovation-driven industries. This thesis focuses on how different forms of proximity affect a firm's ability to access such knowledge. We consider the influence of being co-located in space, of being embedded in a network, and of being active in similar knowledge domains. By integrating these three proximity perspectives, we contribute to various disciplines such as economic geography, organizational sociology and innovation studies. Further, we investigate the make, buy or ally strategies that pharmaceutical firms employ to maximize the probability of innovation (finding new drugs). Our findings suggest that firms employ multiple governance structures simultaneously, even when targeting similar innovations. These insights contribute to our understanding of the boundaries of the firm.