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Extreme Value Theory and the Financial Crisis of 2008

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  • James P. Gander

Abstract

The paper offers an alternative approach to analyzing stock market time series data. The purpose is to develop descriptive, more intuitive, and closer to reality analogs of the behavior of US stock market prices, as indexed by the S&P500 stock price index covering the period October 2003 to October 2008. One analog developed is the “escalator principle” and the blind man. The approach is to treat prices as a random and independent variable and use extreme value theory to judge probabilistically whether prices and their attributes are from an initial universe or whether there has been a regime change. The attributes include the level, first difference, second difference and third difference of the ordered price series. Various graphing tools are used, such as, probability paper and different specifications of exponential functions representing cumulative probability distributions. The argument is that traditional time-series analysis implies a given universe, usually normal with either a constant or time-dependent variance (or measureable risk) and consequently does not handle well uncertainty (non-measureable risk) due to regime changes. The analogs show the investor how to determine when a regime change has likely occurred.

Suggested Citation

  • James P. Gander, 2009. "Extreme Value Theory and the Financial Crisis of 2008," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2009_03, University of Utah, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uta:papers:2009_03
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    File URL: http://economics.utah.edu/research/publications/2009_03.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Black, Fischer & Scholes, Myron S, 1973. "The Pricing of Options and Corporate Liabilities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 637-654, May-June.
    2. Beja, Avraham & Goldman, M Barry, 1980. "On the Dynamic Behavior of Prices in Disequilibrium," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 35(2), pages 235-248, May.
    3. Benoit Mandelbrot, 2015. "The Variation of Certain Speculative Prices," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Anastasios G Malliaris & William T Ziemba (ed.), THE WORLD SCIENTIFIC HANDBOOK OF FUTURES MARKETS, chapter 3, pages 39-78, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
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    Cited by:

    1. Ana-Maria Gavril, 2009. "Exchange Rate Risk: Heads or Tails," Advances in Economic and Financial Research - DOFIN Working Paper Series 35, Bucharest University of Economics, Center for Advanced Research in Finance and Banking - CARFIB.
    2. James P. Gander & Steve Reynolds & Richard Fowles, 2010. "FDI Flow Volatility and ASEAN Members: An Exploratory Approach," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2010_01, University of Utah, Department of Economics.
    3. James P. Gander & Steve Reynolds & Richard Fowles, 2009. "FDI Flow Volatility and ASEAN Members: An Exploratory Approach," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2009_06, University of Utah, Department of Economics.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C19 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Other
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C49 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Other
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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