Extreme-value copulas associated with the expected scaled maximum of independent random variables

Abstract

It is well-known that the expected scaled maximum of non-negative random variables with unit mean defines a stable tail dependence function associated with some extreme-value copula. In the special case when these random variables are independent and identically distributed, min-stable multivariate exponential random vectors with the associated survival extreme-value copulas are shown to arise as finite-dimensional margins of an infinite exchangeable sequence in the sense of De Finetti’s Theorem. The associated latent factor is a stochastic process which is strongly infinitely divisible with respect to time, which induces a bijection from the set of distribution functions F of non-negative random variables with finite mean to the set of Lévy measures ν on (0,∞]. Since the Gumbel and the Galambos copula are the most popular examples of this construction, the investigation of this bijection contributes to a further understanding of their well-known analytical similarities. Furthermore, a simulation algorithm based on the latent factor representation is developed, if the support of F is bounded. Especially in large dimensions, this algorithm is efficient because it makes use of the De Finetti structure.