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On Stein’s method for products of normal random variables and zero bias couplings. (English) Zbl 1407.60035
Summary: In this paper, we extend Stein’s method to the distribution of the product of $$n$$ independent mean zero normal random variables. A Stein equation is obtained for this class of distributions, which reduces to the classical normal Stein equation in the case $$n=1$$. This Stein equation motivates a generalisation of the zero bias transformation. We establish properties of this new transformation, and illustrate how they may be used together with the Stein equation to assess distributional distances for statistics that are asymptotically distributed as the product of independent central normal random variables. We end by proving some product normal approximation theorems.

##### MSC:
 60F05 Central limit and other weak theorems 60E10 Characteristic functions; other transforms 62E17 Approximations to statistical distributions (nonasymptotic)
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