Autocorrelation

Autocorrelation, sometimes known as serial correlation in the discrete time case, is the correlation of a signal with a delayed copy of itself as a function of delay. Informally, it is the similarity between observations of a random variable as a function of the time lag between them.

1. What is difference between correlation and autocorrelation?
2. Why is autocorrelation a problem?
3. What is autocorrelation in time series?

What is difference between correlation and autocorrelation?

Autocorrelation, also known as serial correlation, refers to the degree of correlation of the same variables between two successive time intervals. The value of autocorrelation ranges from -1 to 1. A value between -1 and 0 represents negative autocorrelation. A value between 0 and 1 represents positive autocorrelation.

Why is autocorrelation a problem?

Autocorrelation can cause problems in conventional analyses (such as ordinary least squares regression) that assume independence of observations. In a regression analysis, autocorrelation of the regression residuals can also occur if the model is incorrectly specified.

What is autocorrelation in time series?

Autocorrelation is the correlation between two observations at different points in a time series. For example, values that are separated by an interval might have a strong positive or negative correlation. When these correlations are present, they indicate that past values influence the current value.