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A Three-step Method for Choosing the Number of Bootstrap Repetitions

Donald W. K. Andrews
Moshe Buchinsky

Abstract

This paper considers the problem of choosing the number of bootstrap repetitions B for bootstrap standard errors, confidence intervals, confidence regions, hypothesis tests, p-values, and bias correction. For each of these problems, the paper provides a three-step method for choosing B to achieve a desired level of accuracy. Accuracy is measured by the percentage deviation of the bootstrap standard error estimate, confidence interval length, test’s critical value, test’s p-value, or bias-corrected estimate based on B bootstrap simulations from the corresponding ideal bootstrap quantities for which B = ∞. The results apply quite generally to parametric, semiparametric, and nonparametric models with independent and dependent data. The results apply to the standard nonparametric iid bootstrap, moving block bootstraps for time series data, parametric and semiparametric bootstraps, and bootstraps for regression models based on bootstrapping residuals. Monte Carlo simulations show that the proposed methods work very well.