Heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation consistent covariance estimators
returns robust covariance estimates for ordinary least squares (OLS) coefficient estimates of multiple linear regression models EstCov = hac(X,y)y = Xβ + ε under general forms of heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation in the innovations process ε.
NaNs in the data indicate missing values, which hac removes using list-wise deletion. hac sets Data = [X y], then it removes any row in Data containing at least one NaN. This reduces the effective sample size, and changes the time base of the series.
returns robust covariance estimates for OLS coefficient estimates of multiple linear regression models, with predictor data, EstCov = hac(Tbl)X, in the first numPreds columns of the tabular array, Tbl, and response data, y, in the last column.
hac removes all missing values in Tbl, indicated by NaNs, using list-wise deletion. In other words, hac removes all rows in Tbl containing at least one NaN. This reduces the effective sample size, and changes the time base of the series.
uses any of the input arguments in the previous syntaxes and additional options that you specify by one or more EstCov = hac(___,Name,Value)Name,Value pair arguments.
For example, use Name,Value pair arguments to choose weights for HAC or HC estimators, set a bandwidth for a HAC estimator, or prewhiten the residuals.
[2] recommends prewhitening for HAC estimators to reduce bias. The procedure tends to increase estimator variance and mean-squared error, but can improve confidence interval coverage probabilities and reduce the over-rejection of t statistics.
The original White HC estimator, specified by 'type','HC','weights','HC0', is justified asymptotically. The other weights values, HC1, HC2, HC3, and HC4, are meant to improve small-sample performance. [6] and [3] recommend using HC3 and HC4, respectively, in the presence of influential observations.
HAC estimators formed using the truncated kernel might not be positive semidefinite in finite samples. [10] proposes using the Bartlett kernel as a remedy, but the resulting estimator is suboptimal in terms of its rate of consistency. The quadratic spectral kernel achieves an optimal rate of consistency.
The default estimation method for HAC bandwidth selection is AR1MLE. It is generally more accurate, but slower, than the AR(1) alternative, AR1OLS. If you specify 'bandwidth','ARMA11', then hac estimates the model using maximum likelihood.
Bandwidth selection models might exhibit sensitivity to the relative scale of the predictors in X.
[1] Andrews, D. W. K. “Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimation.” Econometrica. Vol. 59, 1991, pp. 817–858.
[2] Andrews, D. W. K., and J. C. Monohan. “An Improved Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator.” Econometrica. Vol. 60, 1992, pp. 953–966.
[3] Cribari-Neto, F. "Asymptotic Inference Under Heteroskedasticity of Unknown Form." Computational Statistics & Data Analysis. Vol. 45, 2004, pp. 215–233.
[4] den Haan, W. J., and A. Levin. "A Practitioner's Guide to Robust Covariance Matrix Estimation." In Handbook of Statistics. Edited by G. S. Maddala and C. R. Rao. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1997.
[5] Frank, A., and A. Asuncion. UCI Machine Learning Repository. Irvine, CA: University of California, School of Information and Computer Science. https://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/index.php, 2012.
[6] Gallant, A. R. Nonlinear Statistical Models. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1987.
[7] Kutner, M. H., C. J. Nachtsheim, J. Neter, and W. Li. Applied Linear Statistical Models. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005.
[8] Long, J. S., and L. H. Ervin. "Using Heteroscedasticity-Consistent Standard Errors in the Linear Regression Model." The American Statistician. Vol. 54, 2000, pp. 217–224.
[9] MacKinnon, J. G., and H. White. "Some Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimators with Improved Finite Sample Properties." Journal of Econometrics. Vol. 29, 1985, pp. 305–325.
[10] Newey, W. K., and K. D. West. "A Simple, Positive-Definite, Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix." Econometrica. Vol. 55, 1987, pp. 703–708.
[11] Newey, W. K, and K. D. West. “Automatic Lag Selection in Covariance Matrix Estimation.” The Review of Economic Studies. Vol. 61 No. 4, 1994, pp. 631–653.
[12] White, H. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity." Econometrica. Vol. 48, 1980, pp. 817–838.
[13] White, H. Asymptotic Theory for Econometricians. New York: Academic Press, 1984.