This important text and reference for researchers and students in machine learning, game theory, statistics and information theory offers a comprehensive treatment of the problem of predicting individual sequences. Unlike standard statistical approaches to forecasting, prediction of individual sequences does not impose any probabilistic assumption on the data-generating mechanism. Yet, prediction algorithms can be constructed that work well for all possible sequences, in the sense that their performance is always nearly as good as the best forecasting strategy in a given reference class. The central theme is the model of prediction using expert advice, a general framework within which many related problems can be cast and discussed. Repeated game playing, adaptive data compression, sequential investment in the stock market, sequential pattern analysis, and several other problems are viewed as instances of the experts' framework and analyzed from a common nonstochastic standpoint that often reveals new and intriguing connections.

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Prediction, learning, and games

(2002). Modelling Extremal Events for Insurance and Finance. Journal of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 97, No. 457, pp. 360-360.

Modelling Extremal Events for Insurance and Finance

This book provides the most comprehensive treatment of the theoretical concepts and modelling techniques of quantitative risk management. Whether you are a financial risk analyst, actuary, regulator or student of quantitative finance, Quantitative Risk Management gives you the practical tools you need to solve real-world problems. Describing the latest advances in the field, Quantitative Risk Management covers the methods for market, credit and operational risk modelling. It places standard industry approaches on a more formal footing and explores key concepts such as loss distributions, risk measures and risk aggregation and allocation principles. The book's methodology draws on diverse quantitative disciplines, from mathematical finance and statistics to econometrics and actuarial mathematics. A primary theme throughout is the need to satisfactorily address extreme outcomes and the dependence of key risk drivers. Proven in the classroom, the book also covers advanced topics like credit derivatives. Fully revised and expanded to reflect developments in the field since the financial crisis Features shorter chapters to facilitate teaching and learning Provides enhanced coverage of Solvency II and insurance risk management and extended treatment of credit risk, including counterparty credit risk and CDO pricing Includes a new chapter on market risk and new material on risk measures and risk aggregation

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Quantitative Risk Management: Concepts, Techniques, and Tools

Testing the hypothesis that international equity market correlation increases in volatile times is a difficult exercise and misleading results have often been reported in the past because of a spurious relationship between correlation and volatility. Using “extreme value theory” to model the multivariate distribution tails, we derive the distribution of extreme correlation for a wide class of return distributions. Empirically, we reject the null hypothesis of multivariate normality for the negative tail, but not for the positive tail. We also find that correlation is not related to market volatility per se but to the market trend. Correlation increases in bear markets, but not in bull markets. INTERNATIONAL EQUITY MARKET CORRELATION has been widely studied. Previous studies 1 suggest that correlation is larger when focusing on large absolutevalue returns, and that this seems more important in bear markets. The conclusion that international correlation is much higher in periods of volatile markets ~large absolute returns! has indeed become part of the accepted wisdom among practitioners and the financial press. However, one should exert great care in testing such a proposition. The usual approach is to condition the estimated correlation on the observed ~or ex post! realization of market returns. Unfortunately correlation is a complex function of returns and such tests can lead to wrong conclusions, unless the null hypothesis and

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Extreme Correlation of International Equity Markets

Modern risk management calls for an understanding of stochastic dependence going beyond simple linear correlation. This paper deals with the static (non-time-dependent) case and emphasizes the copula representation of dependence for a random vector. Linear correlation is a natural dependence measure for multivariate normally and, more generally, elliptically distributed risks but other dependence concepts like comonotonicity and rank correlation should also be understood by the risk management practitioner. Using counterexamples the falsity of some commonly held views on correlation is demonstrated; in general, these fallacies arise from the naive assumption that dependence properties of the elliptical world also hold in the non-elliptical world. In particular, the problem of finding multivariate models which are consistent with prespecified marginal distributions and correlations is addressed. Pitfalls are highlighted and simulation algorithms avoiding these problems are constructed.

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Risk Management: Correlation and Dependence in Risk Management: Properties and Pitfalls

Abstract. Let X j denote the life length of the j th component of a machine. In reliability theory, one is interested in the life length Z n of the machine where n signifies its number of components. Evidently, Z n = min (X j : 1 ≤ j ≤ n). Another important problem, which is extensively discussed in the literature, is the service time W n of a machine with n components. If Y j is the time period required for servicing the j th component, then W n = max (Y j : 1 ≤ j ≤ n). In the early investigations, it was usually assumed that the X's or Y's are stochastically independent and identically distributed random variables. If n is large, then asymptotic theory is used for describing Z n or W n . Classical theory thus gives that the (asymptotic) distribution of these extremes (Z n or W n ) is of Weibull type. While the independence assumptions are practically never satisfied, data usually fits well the assumed Weibull distribution. This contradictory situation leads to the following mathematical problems: (i) What type of dependence property of the X's (or the Y's) will result in a Weibull distribution as the asymptotic law of Z n (or W n )? (ii) given the dependence structure of the X's (or Y's), what type of new asymptotic laws can be obtained for Z n (or W n )? The aim of the present paper is to analyze the recent development of the (mathematical) theory of the asymptotic distribution of extremes in the light of the questions (i) and (ii). Several dependence concepts will be introduced, each of which leads to a solution of (i). In regard to (ii), the following result holds: the class of limit laws of extremes for exchangeable variables is identical to the class of limit laws of extremes for arbitrary random variables. One can therefore limit attention to exchangeable variables. The basic references to this paper are the author's recent papers in Duke Math. J. 40 (1973), 581–586, J. Appl. Probability 10 (1973, 122–129 and 11 (1974), 219–222 and Zeitschrift fur Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie 32 (1975), 197–207. For multivariate extensions see H. A. David and the author, J. Appl. Probability 11 (1974), 762–770 and the author's paper in J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 70 (1975), 674–680. Finally, we shall point out the difficulty of distinguishing between several distributions based on data. Hence, only a combination of theoretical results and experimentations can be used as conclusive evidence on the laws governing the behavior of extremes.

The Asymptotic Theory of Extreme Order Statistics

. Let X j denote the life length of the j th component of a machine. In reliability theory, one is interested in the life length Z n of the machine where n signifies its number of components. Evidently, Z n = min (X j : 1 ≤ j ≤ n). Another important problem, which is extensively discussed in the literature, is the service time W n of a machine with n components. If Y j is the time period required for servicing the j th component, then W n = max (Y j : 1 ≤ j ≤ n). In the early investigations, it was usually assumed that the X's or Y's are stochastically independent and identically distributed random variables. If n is large, then asymptotic theory is used for describing Z n or W n . Classical theory thus gives that the (asymptotic) distribution of these extremes (Z n or W n ) is of Weibull type. While the independence assumptions are practically never satisfied, data usually fits well the assumed Weibull distribution. This contradictory situation leads to the following mathematical problems: (i) What type of dependence property of the X's (or the Y's) will result in a Weibull distribution as the asymptotic law of Z n (or W n )? (ii) given the dependence structure of the X's (or Y's), what type of new asymptotic laws can be obtained for Z n (or W n )? The aim of the present paper is to analyze the recent development of the (mathematical) theory of the asymptotic distribution of extremes in the light of the questions (i) and (ii). Several dependence concepts will be introduced, each of which leads to a solution of (i). In regard to (ii), the following result holds: the class of limit laws of extremes for exchangeable variables is identical to the class of limit laws of extremes for arbitrary random variables. One can therefore limit attention to exchangeable variables. The basic references to this paper are the author's recent papers in Duke Math. J. 40 (1973), 581–586, J. Appl. Probability 10 (1973, 122–129 and 11 (1974), 219–222 and Zeitschrift fur Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie 32 (1975), 197–207. For multivariate extensions see H. A. David and the author, J. Appl. Probability 11 (1974), 762–770 and the author's paper in J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 70 (1975), 674–680. Finally, we shall point out the difficulty of distinguishing between several distributions based on data. Hence, only a combination of theoretical results and experimentations can be used as conclusive evidence on the laws governing the behavior of extremes.

The asymptotic theory of extreme order statistics

Characterizations of probability distributions

Contents: Introduction.- The method of polynomials.- The Geometric method.- The linear programming method.- Multivariate Bonferroni-type inequalities.- Classical problems of probability and applications in combinatorics.- Applications in number theory.- Statistical applications.- Extreme value theory.- Miscellaneous topics.

Bonferroni-type inequalities with applications

: A simple necessary and sufficient condition is developed for a sequence (theta(n)) , n = 0,1,2,.... of positive terms, to satisfy theta(n) = R(n), n > or = 0 , where R(.) is a regularly varying function on (0, infinity). The condition given in the report leads to a Karamata-type exponential representation for theta(n). Various associated difficulties are also discussed. The results are of relevance in connection with limit theorems in various branches of probability theory. (Author)

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Janos Galambos

Papers

The Asymptotic Theory of Extreme Order Statistics

The asymptotic theory of extreme order statistics

Characterizations of probability distributions

Bonferroni-type inequalities with applications

Regularly varying sequences