Bias correction for outlier estimation in time series

The problem of outlier estimation in time series is addressed. The least squares estimators of additive and innovation outliers in the framework of linear stationary and non-stationary models are considered and their bias is evaluated. As a result, simple alternative nearly unbiased estimators are proposed both for the additive and the innovation outlier types. A simulation study confirms the theoretical results and suggests that the proposed estimators are effective in reducing the bias also for short series. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.