Convergence of Probability Measures. By P. Billingsley. Chichester, Sussex, Wiley, 1968. xii, 253 p. 9 1/4“. 117s.

Convergence of Probability Measures

On robust estimation of the location parameter

Matrix Differential Calculus with Applications in Statistics and Econometrics

The Bootstrap and Edgeworth Expansion

(2003). Comparison Methods for Stochastic Models and Risks. Technometrics: Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 370-371.

Comparison Methods for Stochastic Models and Risks

The risk of a financial position is usually summarized by a risk measure. As this risk measure has to be estimated from historical data, it is important to be able to verify and compare competing estimation procedures. In statistical decision theory, risk measures for which such verification and comparison is possible, are called elicitable. It is known that quantile-based risk measures such as value at risk are elicitable. In this paper, the existing result of the nonelicitability of expected shortfall is extended to all law-invariant spectral risk measures unless they reduce to minus the expected value. Hence, it is unclear how to perform forecast verification or comparison. However, the class of elicitable law-invariant coherent risk measures does not reduce to minus the expected value. We show that it consists of certain expectiles.

/pdf/coherence-and-elicitability-35mgjq8po1.pdf

Coherence and elicitability

A statistical functional, such as the mean or the median, is called elicitable if there is a scoring function or loss function such that the correct forecast of the functional is the unique minimizer of the expected score. Such scoring functions are called strictly consistent for the functional. The elicitability of a functional opens the possibility to compare competing forecasts and to rank them in terms of their realized scores. In this paper, we explore the notion of elicitability for multi-dimensional functionals and give both necessary and sufficient conditions for strictly consistent scoring functions. We cover the case of functionals with elicitable components, but we also show that one-dimensional functionals that are not elicitable can be a component of a higher order elicitable functional. In the case of the variance this is a known result. However, an important result of this paper is that spectral risk measures with a spectral measure with finite support are jointly elicitable if one adds the `correct' quantiles. A direct consequence of applied interest is that the pair (Value at Risk, Expected Shortfall) is jointly elicitable under mild conditions that are usually fulfilled in risk management applications.

Higher order elicitability and Osband's principle

A statistical functional, such as the mean or the median, is called elicitable if there is a scoring function or loss function such that the correct forecast of the functional is the unique minimizer of the expected score. Such scoring functions are called strictly consistent for the functional. The elicitability of a functional opens the possibility to compare competing forecasts and to rank them in terms of their realized scores. In this paper, we explore the notion of elicitability for multi-dimensional functionals and give both necessary and sufficient conditions for strictly consistent scoring functions. We cover the case of functionals with elicitable components, but we also show that one-dimensional functionals that are not elicitable can be a component
of a higher order elicitable functional. In the case of the variance, this is a
known result. However, an important result of this paper is that spectral risk
measures with a spectral measure with finite support are jointly elicitable if
one adds the “correct” quantiles. A direct consequence of applied interest is
that the pair (Value at Risk, Expected Shortfall) is jointly elicitable under mild
conditions that are usually fulfilled in risk management applications.

/pdf/higher-order-elicitability-and-osband-s-principle-3ou7ww40ar.pdf

Higher order elicitability and Osband’s principle

Dynamic semiparametric models for expected shortfall (and Value-at-Risk)

Conditional forecasts of risk measures play an important role in internal risk management of financial institutions as well as in regulatory capital calculations. In order to assess forecasting performance of a risk measurement procedure, risk measure forecasts are compared to the realized financial losses over a period of time and a statistical test of correctness of the procedure is conducted. This process is known as backtesting. Such traditional backtests are concerned with assessing some optimality property of a
set of risk measure estimates. However, they are not suited to compare different risk estimation procedures. We investigate the proposal of comparative backtests, which are better suited for method comparisons on the basis of forecasting accuracy, but necessitate an elicitable risk measure. We argue that supplementing traditional backtests with comparative backtests will enhance the existing trading book regulatory framework for banks by providing the correct incentive for accuracy of risk measure forecasts. In addition, the comparative backtesting framework could be used by banks internally as well as by researchers to guide selection of forecasting methods. The discussion focuses on three risk measures, Value at Risk, expected shortfall and expectiles, and is supported by a simulation study and data analysis.

/pdf/elicitability-and-backtesting-perspectives-for-banking-45hjp26498.pdf

Johanna F. Ziegel

Papers

Coherence and elicitability

Higher order elicitability and Osband's principle

Higher order elicitability and Osband’s principle

Dynamic semiparametric models for expected shortfall (and Value-at-Risk)

Elicitability and backtesting: Perspectives for banking regulation