Description

In this paper we define a family of tests for the Martingale Difference Hypothesis (MDH) based upon a shrinkage principle. Tests within this family are su ch that rejection of the null implies that forecasts from the alternative model, adjusted by a shrinkage factor, will display lower Mean Square Prediction Error (MSPE) than forecasts from the null model. This generalizes most previous tests which compare forecast errors of one model, the null, to errors of the plain alternative model, not allowing for shrinkage. We argue that tests derived from this sh rinkage approach display in general better small sample properties than MSPE based tests of the MDH. This occurs because the shrinkage based tests implicitly consider the reduced variance benefits of shrinkage estimators. Finally, we illustrate the use of our tests in an empirical applicati on within the exchange rate literature.