(Steps Shown) Consider the monthly stock returns presented in Table 1. Using a chi-squared (χ2) goodness of fit test, test the hypothesis that the first digit
Question: Consider the monthly stock returns presented in Table 1. Using a chi-squared (χ2) goodness of fit test, test the hypothesis that the first digit of the monthly return data (ignoring any leading zeroes) follows the Benford’s Law distribution, i.e., the digit D appears as the first digit with the frequency proportional to
\[{{P}_{D}}={{\log }_{10}}\left( 1+\frac{1}{D} \right)\]where D = 1, ... , 9. Please ensure that you clearly show the following steps.
- Formulate an appropriate null and alternative hypothesis.
- Compute the test statistic.
- What is the P-value of the observed statistic?
- Conclude whether you would or you would not reject the null hypothesis at the 10 per cent level of significance.
- Discuss in no more than 500 words how this test could be employed to detect data tampering. Comment on your results for part (d).
Deliverable: Word Document 