# 59 Generalized Least Squares

Generalized least squares (GLS) assumes the same model as OLS, except it allows for heteroskedasticity and covariance among the $$E_i$$. Specifically, it is assumed that $${\boldsymbol{E}}= (E_1, \ldots, E_n)^T$$ is distributed as

${\boldsymbol{E}}_{n \times 1} \sim (\boldsymbol{0}, {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}})$ where $$\boldsymbol{0}$$ is the expected value $${\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}= (\sigma_{ij})$$ is the $$n \times n$$ covariance matrix.

The most straightforward way to navigate GLS results is to recognize that

${\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2} {\boldsymbol{Y}}= {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2}{\boldsymbol{X}}{\boldsymbol{\beta}}+ {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2}{\boldsymbol{E}}$

satisfies the assumptions of the OLS model.

## 59.1 GLS Solution

The solution to minimizing

$({\boldsymbol{Y}}- {\boldsymbol{X}}{\boldsymbol{\beta}})^T {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1} ({\boldsymbol{Y}}- {\boldsymbol{X}}{\boldsymbol{\beta}})$

is

$\hat{{\boldsymbol{\beta}}} = \left( {\boldsymbol{X}}^T {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1} {\boldsymbol{X}}\right)^{-1} {\boldsymbol{X}}^T {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1} {\boldsymbol{Y}}.$

## 59.2 Other Results

The issue of estimating $${\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}$$ if it is unknown is complicated. Other than estimates of $$\sigma^2$$, the results from the OLS section recapitulate by replacing $${\boldsymbol{Y}}= {\boldsymbol{X}}{\boldsymbol{\beta}}+ {\boldsymbol{E}}$$ with

${\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2} {\boldsymbol{Y}}= {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2}{\boldsymbol{X}}{\boldsymbol{\beta}}+ {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1/2}{\boldsymbol{E}}.$

For example, as $$n \rightarrow \infty$$,

$\sqrt{n} \left(\hat{{\boldsymbol{\beta}}} - {\boldsymbol{\beta}}\right) \stackrel{D}{\longrightarrow} \mbox{MNV}_p\left( \boldsymbol{0}, ({\boldsymbol{X}}^T {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}}^{-1} {\boldsymbol{X}})^{-1} \right).$

We also still have that

${\operatorname{E}}\left[ \left. \hat{{\boldsymbol{\beta}}} \right| {\boldsymbol{X}}\right] = {\boldsymbol{\beta}}.$

And when $${\boldsymbol{E}}\sim \mbox{MVN}_n(\boldsymbol{0}, {\boldsymbol{\Sigma}})$$, $$\hat{{\boldsymbol{\beta}}}$$ is the MLE.