An optimization technique based on a vector autoregression model with state space representation: application to Ukrainian cargo transport data

This paper proposes to forecast indicators of the Ukrainian cargo transport system, taking into account their relations with macroeconomic indicators. Increased forecast accuracy at a priori information uncertainty is attained through an optimization technique, starting with a Vector Autoregression (VAR) model of observed multiple time series, its state space representation and subsequent adaptive filtering. The adaptive filter, earlier proposed by the authors, minimizes forecasting errors. Under an optimization criterion, the information divergence of Kullback–Leibler between probability distributions of real values and their estimations is established. The main advantage of the proposed technique is connected with the opportunity to estimate future values of multiple time series even in presence of structural breaks (describing the changes of the status ‘before crisis’ / ‘after crisis’). The observations are available from 2003:1–2011:12, the analysis is performed for the period 2003:1–2011:9. In-sample forecasting of multiple time series of cargo volumes transferred by different transport modes and two macro indicators is compared with the forecast based on a VAR model. In-sample forecast is realized for the last three months 2011:10–2011:12.     

Info-gap forecasting and the advantage of sub-optimal models

We consider forecasting in systems whose underlying laws are uncertain, while contextual information suggests that future system properties will differ from the past. We consider linear discrete-time systems, and use a non-probabilistic info-gap model to represent uncertainty in the future transition matrix. The forecaster desires the average forecast of a specific state variable to be within a specified interval around the correct value. Traditionally, forecasting uses a model with optimal fidelity to historical data. However, since structural changes are anticipated, this is a poor strategy. Our first theorem asserts the existence, and indicates the construction, of forecasting models with sub-optimal-fidelity to historical data which are more robust to model error than the historically optimal model. Our second theorem identifies conditions in which the probability of forecast success increases with increasing robustness to model error. The proposed methodology identifies reliable forecasting models for systems whose trajectories evolve with Knightian uncertainty for structural change over time. We consider various examples, including forecasting European Central Bank interest rates following 9/11.     

Incorporating demand uncertainty and forecast error in supply chain planning models

This paper develops a framework for examining the effect of demand uncertainty and forecast error on unit costs and customer service levels in the supply chain, including Material Requirements Planning (MRP) type manufacturing systems. The aim is to overcome the methodological limitations and confusion that has arisen in much earlier research. To illustrate the issues, the problem of estimating the value of improving forecasting accuracy for a manufacturer was simulated. The topic is of practical importance because manufacturers spend large sums of money in purchasing and staffing forecasting support systems to achieve more accurate forecasts. In order to estimate the value a two-level MRP system with lot sizing where the product is manufactured for stock was simulated. Final product demand was generated by two commonly occurring stochastic processes and with different variances. Different levels of forecasting error were then introduced to arrive at corresponding values for improving forecasting accuracy. The quantitative estimates of improved accuracy were found to depend on both the demand generating process and the forecasting method. Within this more complete framework, the substantive results confirm earlier research that the best lot sizing rules for the deterministic situation are the worst whenever there is uncertainty in demand. However, size matters, both in the demand uncertainty and forecasting errors. The quantitative differences depend on service level and also the form of demand uncertainty. Unit costs for a given service level increase exponentially as the uncertainty in the demand data increases. The paper also estimates the effects of mis-specification of different sizes of forecast error in addition to demand uncertainty. In those manufacturing problems with high demand uncertainty and high forecast error, improved forecast accuracy should lead to substantial percentage improvements in unit costs. Methodologically, the results demonstrate the need to simulate demand uncertainty and the forecasting process separately.     

Forecasting the value effect of seasoned equity offering announcements

Seasoned Equity Offers (SEOs) by publicly listed firms generally result in unexpected negative share price returns, being often perceived as a signal of overvalued share prices and information asymmetries. Hence, forecasting the value effect of such announcements is of crucial importance for issuers, who wish to avoid share price dilution, but also for professional fund managers and individual investors alike. This study adopts the OR forecasting paradigm, where the latest part of the data is used as a holdout, on which a competition is performed unveiling the most effective forecasting techniques for the matter in question. We employ data from a European Market raising in total €8 billion through 149 SEOs. We compare economic and econometric models to forecasting techniques mostly applied in the OR literature such as Nearest Neighbour approaches, Artificial Neural Networks as well as human Judgment. Evaluation in terms of statistical accuracy metrics indicates the superiority of the econometric models, while economic evaluation based on trading strategies and simulated profits attests expert judgement and nearest-neighbour approaches as top performers.     

Experiments on forecasting behavior with several sources of information - A review of the literature

Decision makers frequently have to forecast the future values of a time series (e.g. the price of a commodity, sales figures) given several sources of information (e.g. leading indicators, forecasts of advisors). As a subdomain of decision theory the explanation and the improvement of human forecasting behavior are interdisciplinary issues and have been subject to extensive empirical field and laboratory research. We here review the relevant experimental literature, demonstrate the significance of these results for decision science in general, and summarize the implications for practical forecasting applications.     

Bayesian time series regression with nonparametric modeling of autocorrelation

Series models have several functions: comprehending the functional dependence of variable of interest on covariates, forecasting the dependent variable for future values of covariates and estimating variance disintegration, co-integration and steady-state relations. Although the regression function in a time series model has been extensively modeled both parametrically and nonparametrically, modeling of the error autocorrelation is mainly restricted to the parametric setup. A proper modeling of autocorrelation not only helps to reduce the bias in regression function estimate, but also enriches forecasting via a better forecast of the error term. In this article, we present a nonparametric modeling of autocorrelation function under a Bayesian framework. Moving into the frequency domain from the time domain, we introduce a Gaussian process prior to the log of the spectral density, which is then updated by using a Whittle approximation for the likelihood function (Whittle likelihood). The posterior computation is simplified due to the fact that Whittle likelihood is approximated by the likelihood of a normal mixture distribution with log-spectral density as a location shift parameter, where the mixture is of only five components with known means, variances, and mixture probabilities. The problem then becomes conjugate conditional on the mixture components, and a Gibbs sampler is used to initiate the unknown mixture components as latent variables. We present a simulation study for performance comparison, and apply our method to the two real data examples.     

基于模糊时间序列的传感器网络感知数据预测模型

传感器网络监控系统属于大型复杂系统,由感知节点以一定的时间间隔向sink节点发送感知数据,以实现对应用环境的监控。由于网络本身及应用环境的影响,得到的感知数据往往存在不确定性。此外,周期性报告数据模式影响到实时监控数据的精确性。本文应用时间序列模型预测传感器数据以响应用户查询,可有效降低网络通信量。通过对无线传感器网络的数据分析,引入多属性模糊时间序列预测模型,充分考虑了无线传感器网络时间序列中存在的趋势因素,并提出了适合于传感器网络的修正预测模型。实验结果表明模糊时间序列模型可有效预测传感器网络数据,且能提高预测精度。     

The impact of special days in call arrivals forecasting: A neural network approach to modelling special days

A key challenge for call centres remains the forecasting of high frequency call arrivals collected in hourly or shorter time buckets. In addition to the complex intraday, intraweek and intrayear seasonal cycles, call arrival data typically contain a large number of anomalous days, driven by the occurrence of holidays, special events, promotional activities and system failures. This study evaluates the use of a variety of univariate time series forecasting methods for forecasting intraday call arrivals in the presence of such outliers. Apart from established, statistical methods, we consider artificial neural networks (ANNs). Based on the modelling flexibility of the latter, we introduce and evaluate different methods to encode the outlying periods. Using intraday arrival series from a call centre operated by one of Europe’s leading entertainment companies, we provide new insights on the impact of outliers on the performance of established forecasting methods. Results show that ANNs forecast call centre data accurately, and are capable of modelling complex outliers using relatively simple outlier modelling approaches. We argue that the relative complexity of ANNs over standard statistical models is offset by the simplicity of coding multiple and unknown effects during outlying periods.     

扩展线性支出系统预测精度的验证研究

本文用我国城镇居民 1992— 1998年消费数据分别建立各年度的扩展线性支出系统模型 ,用模型预测值与实际发生值进行对比 ,从而检验扩展线性支出系统的预测精度。检验结果表明 ,预测误差随被预测年的推移而迅速增大。并对误差产生的原因作了分析。最后得出结论 :扩展线性支出系统一般只宜用作消费需求的短期预测。     

Forecasting tender price index under incomplete information

Tender price index (TPI) is essential for estimating the likely tender price of a given project. Due to incomplete information on future market conditions, it is difficult to accurately forecast the TPI. Most traditional statistical forecasting models require a certain number of historical data, which may not be completely available in many practical situations. In order to overcome this problem, the grey model is proposed for forecasting TPIs because it only requires a small number of input data. For this study, the data source was based on the TPIs produced by the Government's Architectural Services Department. On the basis of four input data, the grey model forecasted TPIs from 1981Q1 to 2011Q4. The mean absolute percentage errors of forecast TPIs in one quarter and two quarters ahead were 3.62 and 7.04%, respectively. In order to assess the accuracy and reliability of the grey model further, the same research method was used to forecast other three TPIs in Hong Kong. The forecasting results of all four TPIs were found to be very good. It was thus concluded that the grey model could be able to produce accurate TPI forecasts for a one-quarter to two-quarter forecast horizon.     

Bivariate Forecasting with a Variable Leadtime

The assumption of a constant leadtime between a forecast variable and a leading indicator is difficult to support in a number of forecasting contexts, especially in relationships between economic variables. The forecasting method described uses a leading indicator and has the capability to handle varying leadtimes between the forecast variable and the leading indicator. This is achieved by modelling the behaviour of the leadtime as a Markov chain. The method is shown to be effective at detecting and reacting to changes in the leadtime by using simulated series, the only situation where the leadtime is known, and demonstrated on other series.     

Forecasting seasonal time series data: a Bayesian model averaging approach

A flexible Bayesian periodic autoregressive model is used for the prediction of quarterly and monthly time series data. As the unknown autoregressive lag order, the occurrence of structural breaks and their respective break dates are common sources of uncertainty these are treated as random quantities within the Bayesian framework. Since no analytical expressions for the corresponding marginal posterior predictive distributions exist a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach based on data augmentation is proposed. Its performance is demonstrated in Monte Carlo experiments. Instead of resorting to a model selection approach by choosing a particular candidate model for prediction, a forecasting approach based on Bayesian model averaging is used in order to account for model uncertainty and to improve forecasting accuracy. For model diagnosis a Bayesian sign test is introduced to compare the predictive accuracy of different forecasting models in terms of statistical significance. In an empirical application, using monthly unemployment rates of Germany, the performance of the model averaging prediction approach is compared to those of model selected Bayesian and classical (non)periodic time series models.     

Forecasting portfolio returns using weighted fuzzy time series methods

We propose using weighted fuzzy time series (FTS) methods to forecast the future performance of returns on portfolios. We model the uncertain parameters of the fuzzy portfolio selection models using a possibilistic interval-valued mean approach, and approximate the uncertain future return on a given portfolio by means of a trapezoidal fuzzy number. Introducing some modifications into the classical models of fuzzy time series, based on weighted operators, enables us to generate trapezoidal numbers as forecasts of the future performance of the portfolio returns. This fuzzy forecast makes it possible to approximate both the expected return and the risk of the investment through the value and ambiguity of a fuzzy number.We incorporate our proposals into classical fuzzy time series methods and analyze their effectiveness compared with classical weighted fuzzy time series models, using historical returns on assets from the Spanish stock market. When our weighted FTS proposals are used to point-wise forecast portfolio returns the one-step ahead accuracy is improved, also with respect to non-fuzzy forecasting methods.     

The value of combining forecasts in inventory management – a case study in banking

Managing inventories in the face of uncertain stochastic demand requires an investment in safety stocks. These are related to the accuracy in forecasting future demands and the noise in the demand generation process. Reducing the demand forecasting error can free up capital and space, and reduce the operating costs of managing the inventories. A leading bank in Hong Kong consumes more than three hundred kinds of printed forms for its daily operations. A major problem of its inventory control system for the forms management is to forecast the monthly demand of these forms. In this study the idea of combining forecasts is introduced and its practical application is addressed. The individual forecasts come from well established time series models and the weights for combination are estimated with Quadratic Programming. The combined forecast is found to perform better than any of the individual forecasts.     

Incorporating crossed classification credibility into the Lee–Carter model for multi-population mortality data

Recent developments in actuarial literature have shown that credibility theory can serve as an effective tool in mortality modelling, leading to accurate forecasts when applied to single or multi-population datasets. This paper presents a crossed classification credibility formulation of the Lee–Carter method particularly designed for multi-population mortality modelling. Differently from the standard Lee–Carter methodology, where the time index is assumed to follow an appropriate time series process, herein, future mortality dynamics are estimated under a crossed classification credibility framework, which models the interactions between various risk factors (e.g. genders, countries). The forecasting performances between the proposed model, the original Lee–Carter model and two multi-population Lee–Carter extensions are compared for both genders of multiple countries. Numerical results indicate that the proposed model produces more accurate forecasts than the Lee–Carter type models, as evaluated by the mean absolute percentage forecast error measure. Applications with life insurance and annuity products are also provided and a stochastic version of the proposed model is presented.     

Quantifying Dynamical Predictability： the Pseudo-Ensemble Approach

The ensemble technique has been widely used in numerical weather prediction and extended-range forecasting. Current approaches to evaluate the predictability using the ensemble technique can be divided into two major groups. One is dynamical, including generating Lyapunov vectors, bred vectors, and singular vectors, sampling the fastest error-growing directions of the phase space, and examining the dependence of prediction efficiency on ensemble size. The other is statistical, including distributional analysis and quantifying prediction utility by the Shannon entropy and the relative entropy. Currently, with simple models, one could choose as many ensembles as possible, with each ensemble containing a large number of members. When the forecast models become increasingly complicated, however, one would only be able to afford a small number of ensembles, each with limited number of members, thus sacrificing estimation accuracy of the forecast errors. To uncover connections between different information theoretic approaches and between dynamical and statistical approaches, we propose an （ε, T）-entropy and scale-dependent Lyapunov exponent--based general theoretical framework to quantify information loss in ensemble forecasting. More importantly, to tremendously expedite computations, reduce data storage, and improve forecasting accuracy, we propose a technique for constructing a large number of ＂pseudo＂ ensembles from one single solution or scalar dataset. This pseudo-ensemble technique appears to be applicable under rather general conditions, one important situation being that observational data are available but the exact dynamical model is unknown.     

Improved time-variant fuzzy time series forecast

Since Song and Chissom (Fuzzy Set Syst 54:1–9, 1993a) first proposed the structure of fuzzy time series forecast, researchers have devoted themselves to related studies. Among these studies, Hwang et al. (Fuzzy Set Syst 100:217–228, 1998) revised Song and Chissom’s method, and generated better forecasted results. In their method, however, several factors that affect the accuracy of forecast are not taken into consideration, such as levels of window base, length of interval, degrees of membership values, and the existence of outliers. Focusing on these factors, this study proposes an improved fuzzy time series forecasting method. The improved method can provide decision-makers with more precise forecasted values. Two numerical examples are employed to illustrate the proposed method, as well as to compare the forecasting accuracy of the proposed method with that of two fuzzy forecasting methods. The results of the comparison indicate that the proposed method produces more accurate forecasting results.     

Robust portfolio asset allocation and risk measures

Many financial optimization problems involve future values of security prices, interest rates and exchange rates which are not known in advance, but can only be forecast or estimated. Several methodologies have therefore been proposed to handle the uncertainty in financial optimization problems. One such methodology is Robust Statistics, which addresses the problem of making estimates of the uncertain parameters that are insensitive to small variations. A different way to achieve robustness is provided by Robust Optimization, which looks for solutions that will achieve good objective function values for the realization of the uncertain parameters in given uncertainty sets. Robust Optimization thus offers a vehicle to incorporate an estimation of uncertain parameters into the decision making process. This is true, for example, in portfolio asset allocation. Starting with the robust counterparts of the classical mean-variance and minimum-variance portfolio optimization problems, in this paper we review several mathematical models, and related algorithmic approaches, that have recently been proposed to address uncertainty in portfolio asset allocation, focusing on Robust Optimization methodology. We also give an overview of some of the computational results that have been obtained with the described approaches. In addition we analyze the relationship between the concepts of robustness and convex risk measures.     

基于修正的时间序列模型对冲击负荷的预测

电力负荷预测的实质是对电力市场需求的预测,是利用以往的历史数据资料找出电力负荷的变化规律,进而预测负荷在未来时期的变化趋势.由于经济、气候以及工业生产等诸多因素的约束和限制,电力负荷预测精度很难提高.一个好的实用的电力负荷预测模型则要求既能充分利用负荷的历史数据,又能灵活方便地综合考虑其他多种相关因素的影响.提出了回归与自回归模型相结合的时间序列混合回归预测模型,它的待估参数由BP神经网络进行修正,经实例验证,预测效果良好.     

Robust portfolio asset allocation and risk measures

Many financial optimization problems involve future values of security prices, interest rates and exchange rates which are not known in advance, but can only be forecast or estimated. Several methodologies have therefore, been proposed to handle the uncertainty in financial optimization problems. One such methodology is Robust Statistics, which addresses the problem of making estimates of the uncertain parameters that are insensitive to small variations. A different way to achieve robustness is provided by Robust Optimization which, given optimization problems with uncertain parameters, looks for solutions that will achieve good objective function values for the realization of these parameters in given uncertainty sets. Robust Optimization thus offers a vehicle to incorporate an estimation of uncertain parameters into the decision making process. This is true, for example, in portfolio asset allocation. Starting with the robust counterparts of the classical mean-variance and minimum-variance portfolio optimization problems, in this paper we review several mathematical models, and related algorithmic approaches, that have recently been proposed to address uncertainty in portfolio asset allocation, focusing on Robust Optimization methodology. We also give an overview of some of the computational results that have been obtained with the described approaches. In addition we analyse the relationship between the concepts of robustness and convex risk measures.