Nets: network estimation for time series

We model a large panel of time series as a var where the autoregressive matrices and the inverse covariance matrix of the system innovations are assumed to be sparse. The system has a network representation in terms of a directed graph representing predictive Granger relations and an undirected graph representing contemporaneous partial correlations. A lasso algorithm called nets is introduced to estimate the model. We apply the methodology to analyse a panel of volatility measures of ninety bluechips. The model captures an important fraction of total variability, on top of what is explained by volatility factors, and improves out-of-sample forecasting.