Bias optimal vol-of-vol estimation: the role of window overlapping

Abstract: We derive a feasible criterion for the bias-optimal selection of the tuning parameters involved in estimating the integrated volatility of the spot volatility via the simple realized estimator by Barndorff-Nielsen and Veraart (2009). Our analytic results are obtained assuming that the spot volatility is a continuous mean-reverting process and that consecutive local windows for estimating the spot volatility are allowed to overlap in a finite sample setting. Moreover, our analytic results support some optimal selections of tuning parameters prescribed in the literature, based on numerical evidence. Interestingly, it emerges that window-overlapping is crucial for optimizing the finite-sample bias of volatility-of-volatility estimates.