Estimation of vector ARMAX models

The asymptotic properties of maximum likelihood estimates of a vector ARMAX system are considered under general conditions, relating to the nature of the exogenous variables and the innovation sequence and to the form of the parameterization of the rational transfer functions, from exogenous variables and innovations to the output vector. The exogenous variables are assumed to be such that the sample serial covariances converge to limits. The innovations are assumed to be martingale differences and to be nondeterministic in a fairly weak sense. Stronger conditions ensure that the asymptotic distribution of the estimates has the same covariance matrix as for Gaussian innovations but these stronger conditions are somewhat implausible. With each ARMAX structure may be associated an integer (the McMillan degree) and all structures for a given value of this integer may be topologised as an analytic manifold. Other parameterizations and topologisations of spaces of structures as analytic manifolds may also be considered and the presentation is sufficiently general to cover a wide range of these. Greater generality is also achieved by allowing for general forms of constraints.