Fast inversion of the generalized Fisher transformation of correlation matrices

Ilya Archakov and Peter Reinhard Hansen

Papers from arXiv.org

Abstract: The generalized Fisher transformation maps a non-singular correlation matrix to an unconstrained real vector through the off-diagonal elements of its matrix logarithm. Evaluating its inverse is a computational bottleneck in dynamic correlation and multivariate volatility models. We develop a fast inversion algorithm by characterizing the unknown diagonal as the minimizer of a smooth, strictly convex, and coercive objective. An explicit Hessian and global spectral bounds identify the standard fixed-point iteration as a quasi-Newton method and explain why it can converge slowly near singularity. Every fixed-point step decreases the objective, and the iteration converges from every starting point. These results motivate GFT-FP+N, a hybrid of fixed-point and matrix-free Newton steps that never forms the Jacobian. In benchmarks with up to 1,000 replications per design and dimensions up to 800, GFT-FP+N reduces computation time by up to a factor of forty-five relative to the fixed-point iteration and converged in every replication, including on designs where Broyden's method almost always fails. Julia and R packages are provided.

Date: 2026-07, Revised 2026-09
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