Saturday, 21 July 2007

pr.probability - When does the ratio X/Y of two random variables have a finite moment-generating function?

Let XX and YY be two positive random variables with Y<XY<X; these may be highly correlated. I would like a reasonable condition on XX and YY so that the ratio X/YX/Y has a finite moment-generating function. By this I mean that mathbbEerX/Y<inftymathbbEerX/Y<infty for all rinmathbbRrinmathbbR.



Here's one answer. Suppose that X and 1/Y both have super-Gaussian tail decay, that is,



P(X>u)leCecu2+delta,P(X>u)leCecu2+delta,



for positive constants cc, CC and deltadelta, and similarly for 1/Y1/Y. Then X/YX/Y has super-exponential tail decay:



P(X/Y>u)=P(X>YuP(X/Y>u)=P(X>Yu and Yle1/sqrtu)+P(X>YuYle1/sqrtu)+P(X>Yu and Y>1/sqrtu)Y>1/sqrtu)



leP(1/Y>sqrtu)+P(X>sqrtu)leP(1/Y>sqrtu)+P(X>sqrtu)



le2Cecu(2+delta)/2=2Cecu1+delta/2.le2Cecu(2+delta)/2=2Cecu1+delta/2.



This gives a finite moment-generating function by the following simple argument, which uses the fundamental theorem of calculus and Tonelli's theorem. Let Z=X/YZ=X/Y.



mathbbEerZ=mathbbEleft[1+intZ0reru duright]=1+inti0nftyrerumathbbP(Z>u) dule1+2Crinti0nftyeruecu1+delta/2 dumathbbEerZ=mathbbEleft[1+intZ0reru duright]=1+inti0nftyrerumathbbP(Z>u) dule1+2Crinti0nftyeruecu1+delta/2 du,



which is finite for all rinmathbbRrinmathbbR. Thus, super-Gaussian tail decay suffices, but this is a very strong condition which I'd like to weaken.



(In fact, I only need that mathbbEerX/Y<inftymathbbEerX/Y<infty for any one positive value of r=r0r=r0. In that case, we may choose r0=c/2r0=c/2, and take delta=0delta=0 in all the above arguments. Then the integral inti0nftyer0uecu duinti0nftyer0uecu du still converges.)

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