Estimation of the stochastic leverage effect using the Fourier transform method

We define a non-parametric estimator of the integrated leverage effect as the integrated covariation between the logarithmic asset price and its volatility. In Curato and Sanfelici (2015), a consistent estimator of the leverage effect has been introduced through a pre-estimate of the Fourier coefficients of the volatility. This is a novel approach compared to the ones present in the literature which use a pre-estimate of the spot volatility path. In this paper, we show the asymptotic normality of the Fourier estimator for non-equidistant observations. Moreover, its finite sample properties are analyzed in a simulation study also in the presence of microstructure noise.