Signed Matrix Thinning and Projection Estimation for Integer-Valued Autoregressive Models
TL;DR
The Z-MINAR model is introduced, a novel matrix autoregressive framework defined on the full integer domain (Z) that elegantly handles both positive and negative integers while strictly preserving the crucial topological interactions inherent in matrix data.
Abstract
Integer-valued time series are ubiquitous in fields such as finance, economics, and epidemiology. As spatiotemporal data structures in these domains grow increasingly complex and high-dimensional, the matrix integer-valued autoregressive (MINAR) model efficiently captures row-column cross-correlations to reduce dimensionality. However, it fundamentally fails to accommodate negative values, which is a critical flaw for analyzing real-world differenced data or financial tick fluctuations. To bridge this theoretical and practical gap, this paper introduces the Z-MINAR model, a novel matrix autoregressive framework defined on the full integer domain (Z). By pioneering a signed matrix thinning operator and utilizing an extended poisson distribution for the innovations, the Z-MINAR model elegantly handles both positive and negative integers while strictly preserving the crucial topological interactions inherent in matrix data. Furthermore, we employ a projection-based conditional least squares estimation procedure and rigorously establish the model's stationarity, causality, and asymptotic normality. Extensive simulations demonstrate the superior estimation accuracy, robustness, and adaptability of Z-MINAR over existing benchmark models. Finally, an empirical application focusing on crime count variations across different urban regions confirms the model's practical efficacy in uncovering dynamic spatiotemporal dependence structures in Z-valued matrix time series.