This paper provides two main new results: the first shows
theoretically that large biases and variances can arise when the
quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) estimation method is employed in a simple
bivariate structure under the assumption of conditional
heteroskedasticity; and the second demonstrates how these analytical
theoretical results can be used to improve the finite-sample performance
of a test for multivariate autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic
(ARCH) effects, suggesting an alternative to a traditional Bartlett-type
correction. We analyze two models: one proposed in Wong and Li (1997, Biometrika 84, 111–123) and
another proposed by Engle and Kroner (1995,
Econometric Theory 11, 122–150) and Liu and Polasek (1999, Modelling and Decisions in Economics;
2000, working paper, University of Basel). We prove theoretically that a
relatively large difference between the intercepts in the two conditional
variance equations, which leads to the two series having correspondingly
different volatilities in the restricted case, may produce very large
variances in some QML estimators in the first model and very severe biases
in some QML estimators in the second. Later we use our bias expressions to
propose an LM-type test of multivariate ARCH effects and show through
simulations that small-sample improvements are possible, especially in
relation to the size, when we bias correct the estimators and use the
expected hessian version of the test.Both
authors thank H. Wong for providing us with the Gauss program to simulate
the Wong and Li (1997) model. We also thank
three anonymous referees for extremely helpful comments, and we are
grateful for the comments received at seminars given at Cardiff
University, Michigan State University, Queen Mary London, University of
Exeter, and University of Montreal. We acknowledge gratefully also the
financial support from an ESRC grant (award number T026 27 1238). A
previous version of this paper appeared as IVIE Working paper
2004-09.