A Test for Independence Based on the Correlation Dimension

This paper presents a test of independence that can be applied to the estimated residuals of any time series model that can be transformed into a model driven by independent and identically distributed errors. The rst order asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is independent of estimation error provided that the parameters of the model under test can be estimated p n{consistently. Because of this, our method can be used as a model selection tool and as a speci cation test. Widely used software written by Dechert and LeBaron can be used to implement the test. Also, this software is fast enough that the null distribution of our test statistic can be estimated with bootstrap methods. Our method can be viewed as a nonlinear analog of the Box{Pierce Q statistic used in ARIMA analysis. Available via Gopher at: gopher.econ.wisc.edu