This paper proposes the residual-based stochastic predictor as an alternative procedure for obtaining forecasts with a static nonlinear econometric model. This procedure modifies the usual Monte Carlo approach to stochastic simulations of the model in that calculated residuals over the sample period are used as proxies for disturbances instead of random draws from some assumed parametric distribution. In compar-ison with the Monte Carlo predictor, the residual-based should be less sensitive to distributional assumptions concerning disturbances in the system. It is also less demanding computationally. The large-sample asymptotic moments of the residual-based predictor are derived in this paper and compared with those of the Monte Carlo predictor. Both procedures are asymptotically unbiased. In terms of asymptotic mean squared prediction error (AMSPE), the Monte Carlo is efficient relative to the residual-based when the number of replications in the Monte Carlo simulations is large relative to sample size. This order of relative efficiency is reversed, however, when replication and sample sizes are similar. In any event, the amount by which the AMSPE of either predictor exceeds the lower bound for AMSPE is small as a percentage of the lower bound AMSPE when sample and replication sizes are at least of moderate magnitude. The paper also discusses the extension of the residual-based anld Monte Carlo procedures to the estimation of higher order moments and cumulative distribution functions of endogenous variables in the system.

[This paper develops a unified framework for formulating econometric models of discrete/continuous consumer choices in which the discrete and continuous choices both flow from the same underlying (random) utility maximization decision. As a special case a number of models suitable for empirical application are developed where the discrete choice is among different brands of a commodity. Since these brands are essentially substitutes, the consumer prefers to buy only one brand at any time; discrete choice is which brand to select and the continuous choice is how many units to buy.]

A NUMBER OF AUTHORS argue that a Bayesian posterior odds criterion is appropriate for model selection.2 This paper considers how to derive this criterion when there is minimal prior information. We propose minimizing measures of prior information relative to the models in question rather than relative to the parameters of the particular models. In so doing, we obtain an expression for the odds that is invariant to the parameterization of the particular models and overcomes certain well known finite sample limiting problems. We illustrate this procedure using two popular measures of information derived from the well known Shannon [26] measure. By minimizing these measures with the sample size held fixed, we obtain the same model selection criterion that Schwarz [25] derived asymptotically for large sample sizes. This expression has a number of desirable properties and is computationally no more

G. H. Hillier, T. W. Kinal, V. K. Srivastava, On the Moments of Ordinary Least Squares and Instrumental Variables Estimators in a General Structural Equation, Econometrica, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Jan., 1984), pp. 185-202