LIHAR model for forecasting realized volatilities featuring long-memory and asymmetry

Cho and Shin (2016) recently demonstrated that an integrated HAR model has a forecast advantage over the HAR model of Corsi (2009). Recalling that realized volatilities of financial assets have asymmetries, we add a leverage term to the integrated HAR model, yielding the LIHAR model. Out-of-sample forecast comparisons show superiority of the LIHAR model over the HAR and IHAR models. The comparison was made for all the 20 realized volatilities in the Oxford-Man Realized Library focusing specially on the DJIA, the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, and the KOSPI. Analysis of the realized volatility data sets reveal apparent long-memory and asymmetry. The LIHAR model takes advantage of the long-memory and asymmetry and produces better forecasts than the HAR, IHAR, LHAR models.