We are privileged to have with us today two eminent guest speakers – Prof. Sastry G. Pantula from the University of North Carolina, USA and Prof. Rajeeva Karandikar, Director of the Chennai Mathematical Institute – two statisticians in the forefront of their respective fields of specialization.
They bring together enormous intellectual acumen, wisdom and expertise in two vital branches of statistics: time series analysis and financial statistics. On behalf of all of us, I want to extend a hearty welcome to both of them. BIS central bankers’ speeches  1  Global crisis and statistical analysis Let me make another observation on a larger canvas before turning to specifics.