• Media type: Report; E-Book
  • Title: Shrinkage estimation of large covariance matrices: Keep it simple, statistician?
  • Contributor: Ledoit, Olivier [Author]; Wolf, Michael [Author]
  • Published: Zurich: University of Zurich, Department of Economics, 2020
  • Language: English
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-172202
  • Keywords: random matrix theory ; large-dimensional asymptotics ; C13 ; rotation equivariance
  • Origination:
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  • Description: Under rotation-equivariant decision theory, sample covariance matrix eigenvalues can be optimally shrunk by recombining sample eigenvectors with a (potentially nonlinear) function of the unobservable population covariance matrix. The optimal shape of this function reflects the loss/risk that is to be minimized. We solve the problem of optimal covariance matrix estimation under a variety of loss functions motivated by statistical precedent, probability theory, and differential geometry. A key ingredient of our nonlinear shrinkage methodology is a new estimator of the angle between sample and population eigenvectors, without making strong assumptions on the population eigenvalues. We also introduce a broad family of covariance matrix estimators that can handle all regular functional transformations of the population covariance matrix under large-dimensional asymptotics. In addition, we compare via Monte Carlo simulations our methodology to two simpler ones from the literature, linear shrinkage and shrinkage based on the spiked covariance model. ; This version: February 2020
  • Access State: Open Access