{smcl} {* March 2007}{...} {hline} help for {hi:lognfit}{right:Stephen P. Jenkins (updated June 2013)} {hline} {title:Fitting a lognormal distribution by ML to unit record data} {p 8 17 2}{cmd:lognfit} {it:var} [{it:weight}] [{cmd:if} {it:exp}] [{cmd:in} {it:range}] [{cmd:,} {cmdab:m:var(}{it:varlist1}{cmd:)} {cmdab:v:var(}{it:varlist2}{cmd:)} {cmdab:mandv(}{it:varlist}{cmd:)} {cmdab:st:ats} {cmdab:f:rom(}{it:string}{cmd:)} {cmdab:poor:frac(}{it:#}{cmd:)} {cmdab:cdf(}{it:cdfname}{cmd:)} {cmdab:pdf(}{it:pdfname}{cmd:)} {cmdab:r:obust} {cmdab:cl:uster(}{it:varname}{cmd:)} {cmdab:svy:} {cmdab:l:evel(}{it:#}{cmd:)} {it:maximize_options} {it:svy_options} ] {p 4 4 2}{cmd:by} {it:...} {cmd::} may be used with {cmd:lognfit}; see help {help by}. {p 4 4 2}{cmd:pweight}s, {cmd:aweight}s, {cmd:fweight}s, and {cmd:iweight}s are allowed; see help {help weights}. To use {cmd:pweight}s, you must first {cmd:svyset} your data and then use the {cmd:svy} option. {title:Description} {p 4 4 2} {cmd:lognfit} fits by ML the 2 parameter lognormal distribution to sample observations on a random variable {it:var}. Unit record data are assumed (rather than grouped data). For a comprehensive review of the lognormal distribution, see Aitchison and Brown (1954). See also Kleiber and Kotz (2003). {p 4 4 2} The likelihood function for a sample of observations on {it:var} is specified as the product of the densities for each observation (weighted where relevant), and is maximized using {cmd:ml model lf}. {title:Options} {p 4 8 2}{cmd:mvar(}{it:varlist1}{cmd:)} and {cmd:vvar(}{it:varlist2}{cmd:)} allow the user to specify each parameter as a function of the covariates specified in the respective variable list. A constant term is always included in each equation. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:mandv(}{it:varlist}{cmd:)} can be used instead of the previous option if the same covariates are to appear in each parameter equation. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:from(}{it:string}{cmd:)} specifies initial values for the parameters, and is likely to be used only rarely. You can specify the initial values in one of three ways: the name of a vector containing the initial values (e.g., from(b0) where b0 is a properly labeled vector); by specifying coefficient names with the values (e.g., from(m:_cons=1 v:_cons=5); or by specifying an ordered list of values (e.g., from(1 5, copy)). Poor values in from() may lead to convergence problems. For more details, including the use of copy and skip, see {help:maximize}. {p 8 8 2}If covariates are specified, the next four options are not available. Use {help lognpred} to generate statistics at particular values of the covariates, or {cmd:nlcom}. {cmd:predict} can be used to generate the observation-specific parameters corresponding to the covariate values of each sample observation: see Examples below. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:stats} displays selected distributional statistics implied by the lognormal parameter estimates: quantiles, cumulative shares of total {it:var} at quantiles (i.e. the Lorenz curve ordinates), the mode, mean, standard deviation, variance, half the coefficient of variation squared, Gini coefficient, and quantile ratios p90/p10, p75/p25. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:poorfrac(}{it:#}{cmd:)} displays the estimated proportion with values of {it:var} less than the cut-off specified by {it:#}. This option may be specified when replaying results. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:cdf(}{it:cdfname}{cmd:)} creates a new variable {it:cdfname} containing the estimated lognormal c.d.f. value F(x) for each x. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:pdf(}{it:pdfname}{cmd:)} creates a new variable {it:pdfname} containing the estimated lognormal p.d.f. value f(x) for each x. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:robust} specifies that the Huber/White/sandwich estimator of variance is to be used in place of the traditional calculation; see {hi:[U] 23.14 Obtaining robust variance estimates}. {cmd:robust} combined with {cmd:cluster()} allows observations which are not independent within cluster (although they must be independent between clusters). If you specify {help pweight}s, {cmd:robust} is implied. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:cluster(}{it:varname}{cmd:)} specifies that the observations are independent across groups (clusters) but not necessarily within groups. {it:varname} specifies to which group each observation belongs; e.g., {cmd:cluster(personid)} in data with repeated observations on individuals. See {hi:[U] 23.14 Obtaining robust variance estimates}. {cmd:cluster()} can be used with {help pweight}s to produce estimates for unstratified cluster-sampled data. Specifying {cmd:cluster()} implies {cmd:robust}. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:svy} indicates that {cmd:ml} is to pick up the {cmd:svy} settings set by {cmd:svyset} and use the robust variance estimator. Thus, this option requires the data to be {cmd:svyset}; see help {help svyset}. {cmd:svy} may not be combined with weights or the {cmd:strata()}, {cmd:psu()}, {cmd:fpc()}, or {cmd:cluster()} options. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:level(}{it:#}{cmd:)} specifies the confidence level, in percent, for the confidence intervals of the coefficients; see help {help level}. {p 4 8 2}{cmd:nolog} suppresses the iteration log. {p 4 8 2}{it:maximize_options} control the maximization process. The options available are those shown by {help maximize}, with the exception of {cmd:from()}. If you are seeing many "(not concave)" messages in the iteration log, using the {cmd:difficult} or {cmd:technique} options may help convergence. {p 4 8 2}{it:svy_options} specify the options used together with the {cmd:svy} option. {title:Saved results} {p 4 4 2}In addition to the usual results saved after {cmd:ml}, {cmd:lognfit} also saves the following, if there are no covariates have been specified and the relevant options used: {p 4 4 2}{cmd:e(bm)} and {cmd:e(bv)} are the estimated lognormal parameters. {p 4 4 2}{cmd:e(cdfvar)} and {cmd:e(pdfvar)} are the variable names specified for the c.d.f. and the p.d.f. {p 4 4 2} {cmd:e(mode)}, {cmd:e(mean)}, {cmd:e(var)}, {cmd:e(sd)}, {cmd:e(i2)}, and {cmd:e(gini)} are the estimated mode, mean, variance, standard deviation, half coefficient of variation squared, Gini coefficient. {cmd:e(pX)}, and {cmd:e(LpX)} are the quantiles, and Lorenz ordinates, where X = {1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, 95, 99}. {p 4 4 2}The following results are saved regardless of whether covariates have been specified or not. {p 4 4 2}{cmd:e(b_m)} and {cmd:e(b_v)} are row vectors containing the parameter estimates from each equation. {p 4 4 2}{cmd:e(length_b_m)} and {cmd:e(length_b_v)} contain the lengths of these vectors. If no covariates have been specified in an equation, the corresponding vector has length equal to 1 (the constant term); otherwise, the length is one plus the number of covariates. {title:Formulae} {p 4 4 2} The lognormal distribution has distribution function (c.d.f.) {p 8 8 2} F(x) = 1 - N( (log(x) - m)/v ) {p 4 4 2} where m and v are parameters, each positive, for random variable x > 0. {p 4 4 2} the probability density function (p.d.f.) is {p 8 8 2} f(x) = (x*sqrt(2*_pi)*v)^(-1) *exp( -.5*(v^-2)(log(x) - m)^2 ). {p 4 4 2} The likelihood function for a sample of observations on {it:var} is specified as the product of the densities for each observation (weighted where relevant), and is maximized using {cmd:ml model lf}. {p 4 4 2} The formulae used to derive the distributional summary statistics presented (optionally) are as follows. The r-th moment about the origin is given by {p 8 8 2} exp( r*m + .5*(r^2)*(v^2) ) {p 4 4 2} and hence {p 8 8 2} mean = exp(m + .5*(v^2) ) {p 8 8 2} variance = q*(q-1)*exp(2*m) where q = exp(v^2) {p 4 4 2} from which the standard deviation and half the squared coefficient of variation can be derived. The mode is {p 8 8 2} mode = exp(m - v^2). {p 4 4 2} The quantiles are derived by inverting the distribution function: {p 8 8 2} x_s = exp( m + v*{cmd:invnorm}(s) ) for each s = F(x_s). {p 4 4 2} The Gini coefficient of inequality is given by {p 8 8 2} Gini = 2*{cmd:norm}(v/sqrt(2)) - 1 . {p 4 4 2} The Lorenz curve ordinates at each s = F(x_s) are {p 8 8 2} L(s) = {cmd:norm}({cmd:invnorm}(s) - v). {title:Examples} {p 4 8 2}{inp:. lognfit x [w=wgt] } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. lognfit } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. lognfit x, stats poorfrac(100) } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. lognfit, m(age sex) v(age sex) } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. lognfit x, mandv(age sex) } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. predict double m_i, eq(m) xb } {p 4 8 2}{inp:. predict double v_i, eq(v) xb } {p 4 4 2}See also the examples provided in the presentation by {browse "http://www.stata.com/meeting/2german/Jenkins.pdf":Jenkins (2004)}. {title:Author} {p 4 4 2}Stephen P. Jenkins , London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, U.K. {title:Acknowledgements} {p 4 4 2}N. J. Cox made numerous helpful comments and suggestions, and also wrote programs for distributional diagnostic plots ({help qlogn}, {help plogn}). Carsten Schroeder spotted a bug in the post-estimation calculations of L(x). {title:References} {p 4 8 2}Aitchison, J. and Brown, J.A.C. (1957). {it:The Lognormal Distribution}. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {p 4 8 2}Jenkins, S.P. (2004). Fitting functional forms to distributions, using {cmd:ml}. Presentation at Second German Stata Users Group Meeting, Berlin. {browse "http://www.stata.com/meeting/2german/Jenkins.pdf"} {p 4 8 2}Kleiber, C. and Kotz, S. (2003). {it:Statistical Size Distributions in Economics and Actuarial Sciences}. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. {title:Also see} {p 4 13 2} Online: help for {help lognpred}, {help plogn}, {help qlogn}, {help smfit}, {help dagumfit}, {help gb2fit}, if installed.