Local polynomial fitting has many exciting statistical properties which where established under i.i.d. setting. However, the need for nonlinea r time series modeling, constructing predictive intervals, understanding divergence of nonlinear time series requires the development of the theory of local polynomial fitting for dependent data. In this paper, we study the problem of estimating conditional mean functions and their derivatives via a local polynomial fit. The functions include conditional moments, conditional distribution as well as conditional density functions. Joint asymptotic normality for derivative estimation is established for both strongly mixing and mixing processes.

This article proposes a consistent and efficient estimator of the high-frequency covariance (quadratic covariation) of two arbitrary assets, observed asynchronously with market microstructure noise. This estimator is built on the marriage of the quasimaximum likelihood estimator of the quadratic variation and the proposed generalized synchronization scheme and thus is not influenced by the Epps effect. Moreover, the estimation procedure is free of tuning parameters or bandwidths and is readily implementable. Monte Carlo simulations show the advantage of this estimator by comparing it with a variety of estimators with specific synchronization methods. The empirical studies of six foreign exchange future contracts illustrate the time-varying correlations of the currencies during the 2008 global financial crisis, demonstrating the similarities and differences in their roles as key currencies in the global market.

I would like to congratulate Professor Antoniadis for successfully outlining the current state-of-art of wavelet applications in statistics. Since wavelet techniques were introduced to statistics in the early 90s, the applications of wavelet techniques have mushroomed. There is a vast forest of wavelet theory and techniques in statistics and one can find himself easily lost in the jungle. The review by Antoniadis, ranging from linear wavelets to nonlinear wavelets, addressing both theoretical issues and practical relevance, gives in-depth coverage of the wavelet applications in statistics and guides one entering easily into the realm of wavelets.

Additive regression models have turned out to be a useful statistical tool in analyses of high-dimensional data sets. Recently, an estimator of additive components has been introduced by Linton and Nielsen which is based on marginal integration. The explicit definition of this estimator makes possible a fast computation and allows an asymptotic distribution theory. In this paper an asymptotic treatment of this estimate is offered for several models. A modification of this procedure is introduced. We consider weighted marginal integration for local linear fits and we show that this estimate has the following advantages.

Improving efficiency for regression coefficients and predicting trajectories of individuals are two important aspects in the analysis of longitudinal data. Both involve estimation of the covariance function. Yet challenges arise in estimating the covariance function of longitudinal data collected at irregular time points. A class of semiparametric models for the covariance function by that imposes a parametric correlation structure while allowing a nonparametric variance function is proposed. A kernel estimator for estimating the nonparametric variance function is developed. Two methods for estimating parameters in the correlation structurea quasi-likelihood approach and a minimum generalized variance methodare proposed. A semiparametric varying coefficient partially linear model for longitudinal data is introduced, and an estimation procedure for model coefficients using a profile weighted least squares approach