Deep learning based doubly robust test for Granger causality

Abstract: Granger causality is popular for analyzing time series data in many applications from natural science to social science including genomics, neuroscience, economics, and finance. Consequently, the Granger causality test has become one of the main concerns of the econometrician for decades. Taking advantage of the theoretical breakthroughs in deep learning in recent years, we propose a doubly robust Granger causality test (DRGCT). Our method offers several key advantages. The first and most direct benefit is for the users, DRGCT allows them to handle large lag orders while alleviating the curse of dimensionality that traditional nonlinear Granger causality tests usually face. Second, introducing a doubly robust test statistic for time series based on neural networks that achieves a parametric convergence rate not only suggests a new paradigm for nonparametric inference in econometrics, but also broadens the application scope of deep learning. Third, a multiplier bootstrap method, combined with the doubly robust approach, provides an efficient way to obtain critical values, effectively reducing computational time and avoiding redundant calculations. We prove that the test asymptotically controls the type I error, while achieving power approaches one, and validate the effectiveness of our test through numerical simulations. In real data analysis, we apply DRGCT to revisit the price-volume relationship problem in the stock markets of America, China, and Japan.