Optimal choice of sample fraction in univariate financial tail index estimation

This study introduces a technique to estimate the Pareto distribution of the stock exchange index by using the maximum-likelihood Hill estimator. Recursive procedures based on the goodness-of-fit statistics are used to determine the optimal threshold fraction of extreme values to be included in tail estimation. These procedures are applied to three indices in the Malaysian stock market which included the consideration of a drastic economic event such as the Asian financial crisis. The empirical results evidenced alternating varying behavior of heavy-tailed distributions in the regimes for both upper and lower tails.