Inference for heavy-tailed data with Gaussian dependence

We consider a model for multivariate data with heavy-tailed marginals and a Gaussian dependence structure. The marginal distributions are allowed to have non-homogeneous tail behavior which is in contrast to most popular modeling paradigms for multivariate heavy-tails. Estimation and analysis in such models have been limited due to the so-called asymptotic tail independence property of Gaussian copula rendering probabilities of many relevant extreme sets negligible. In this paper we obtain precise asymptotic expressions for these erstwhile negligible probabilities. We also provide consistent estimates of the marginal tail indices and the Gaussian correlation parameters, and, establish their joint asymptotic normality. The efficacy of our estimation methods are exhibited using extensive simulations as well as real data sets from online networks, insurance claims, and internet traffic.