English

Restoring Convergence in Heavy-Tailed Risk Models: A Weighted Kolmogorov Approach for Robust Backtesting

Probability 2026-01-09 v1

Abstract

Standard risk metrics used in model validation, such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance, fail to converge at practical rates when applied to high-frequency financial data characterized by heavy tails (infinite skewness). This creates a "noise barrier" where valid risk models are rejected due to tail events irrelevant to central tendency accuracy. In this paper, we introduce a Weighted Kolmogorov Metric tailored for financial time series with sub-cubic moments (EX2+δ<\mathbb{E}|X|^{2+\delta}<\infty). By incorporating an exhaustion function h(x)h(x) that mechanically downweights extreme tail noise, we prove that we can restore the optimal Gaussian convergence rate of O(n1/2)O(n^{-1/2}) even for Pareto and Student-t distributions common in Crypto and FX markets. We provide a complete proof using a core/tail truncation scheme and establish the optimal tuning of the weight parameter qq.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.04490,
  title  = {Restoring Convergence in Heavy-Tailed Risk Models: A Weighted Kolmogorov Approach for Robust Backtesting},
  author = {Armen Petrosyan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.04490},
  year   = {2026}
}