Hello everyone,

I am running a logit model in which I try to forecast insolvency. The coefficients one obtains using standard logit estimation being the effet on the log-odds, I wanted something more interpretable. It seemed to me the best way to go was to run margins, dyex (L.X1) to know, when X1 increases by 1%, what is the resulting increase in the probability to become insolvent (in absolute units, e.g., a .01 increase in probability).

I know margins is a brilliant but sensitive command, so perhaps someone can confirm that this is indeed the tool to use here. Perhaps dydx would be better, given that my covariates are financial ratios (like ROA), I should do dydx and divide by hundred to have percentage point changes (in level)?

My main question, however, concerns the dyex command. I noticed that when I run dydx, I have the expected signs (increase in ROA decreases probability of insolvency) but when I use dyex, the sign changes and is now positive, following the same regression!

Here is a dataex:


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Code:
* Example generated by -dataex-. To install: ssc install dataex
clear
input int(date comp_num) float(impt ROA1 roa_v log_TA bshare1 opexp_prem_pc part_ceded_pc) long yearcountcode
1996 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 104
1997 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 105
1998 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 106
1999 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 107
2000 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 108
2001 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 109
2002 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 110
2003 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 111
2004 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 112
2005 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 113
2006 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 114
2007 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 115
2008 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 116
2009 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 117
2010 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 118
2011 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 119
2012 1 0            . .04198379         .        .         .         . 120
2013 1 0   -.05765611 .04198379   7.88339        . 1.3128875         0 121
2014 1 0    .02736935 .04198379  8.080724        .  .7207186         0 122
2015 1 0   .011651821 .04198379  8.216535        . .57930404         0 123
2016 1 0   .033698197 .04198379  8.305705        0  .7495359         0 124
1996 2 0    .11384311 .05007874  8.858372  .698357 .12621942  .8667591 104
1997 2 0   .014075192 .05007874  9.156266 .6947108 .09772328  .8628223 105
1998 2 0  -.067483835 .05007874  9.292594 .6842238  .2128755  .4671292 106
1999 2 0    .03868382 .05007874  9.440553 .6038181  .1470378  .5399969 107
2000 2 0  -.015914656 .05007874  9.693195 .6634216   .289766 .03936061 108
2001 2 0   .008663441 .05007874  9.831507 .7028519   .244019 .13513243 109
2002 2 0   -.05088913 .05007874 10.040242 .7829893  .2399435 .12845938 110
2003 2 0    .09041487 .05007874   10.0453 .7907972  .1895433  .4205122 111
2004 2 0   .028980885 .05007874 10.108306 .8368427 .24578042   .345214 112
2005 2 0    .04474738 .05007874  10.23015 .8485531 .26169425 .28048077 113
2006 2 0    .03514605 .05007874 10.314502 .8578923  .3478031 .09495977 114
2007 2 0   .025653735 .05007874  10.34216 .8561094 .47965536 .14605303 115
2008 2 0    .03241699 .05007874 10.304285 .9114216  .3747966 .14372167 116
2009 2 0    .02928237 .05007874 10.324498 .8922768  .4047336 .13893671 117
2010 2 0  .0032238334 .05007874 10.316257 .9090319   .411041 .14052549 118
2011 2 0   -.06658515 .05007874  10.33746 .8957891   .415263  .1407712 119
2012 2 0   -.07770962 .05007874 10.254777 .8948808 .40365475  .1395058 120
2013 2 0    .06433318 .05007874 10.279704 .8699471 .39733365 .13067509 121
2014 2 0 -.0012459718 .05007874   10.3082 .8564203  .4246248 .11834542 122
2015 2 0    .01863146 .05007874 10.261472 .8964072 .45057055 .09769556 123
2016 2 0   -.03054271 .05007874 10.273818  .884986  .4349437  .0811611 124
1996 3 0            . .04233585         .        .         .         . 104
1997 3 0            . .04233585         .        .         .         . 105
1998 3 0            . .04233585         .        .         .         . 106
1999 3 0            . .04233585         .        .         .         . 107
2000 3 0    .01655973 .04233585  7.254329        1 .07175426  .7799376 108
2003 3 0   -.07925805 .04233585  7.725895        1  .1011939 .25212994 111
2004 3 0   .003809625 .04233585   8.12962        1    .22251   .195481 112
2005 3 0    .05451892 .04233585  8.352901        1   .212595 .09391081 113
2006 3 0    .06793278 .04233585  8.559239        1 .20486717 .09431782 114
2007 3 0    .05297162 .04233585  9.100768 .9280499  .2315477  .0950568 115
2008 3 0    .06102193 .04233585  9.187486 .9913161  .2998646 .09803285 116
2009 3 0    .05971158 .04233585  9.291459 .8570565  .2482366 .10014564 117
2010 3 0   .032083604 .04233585  9.362007 .7935006  .3057735 .11595336 118
2011 3 0 -.0018972246 .04233585  9.421637 .8444695  .2989494 .11024439 119
2012 3 0 -.0017617185 .04233585  9.511732 .8016667  .3201108 .10802703 120
2013 3 0 -.0023159585 .04233585  9.655608 .7689856  .2910347 .09641418 121
2014 3 0  -.005131893 .04233585  9.771913 .7489496   .317059 .09962157 122
2015 3 0   -.00922158 .04233585  9.841464 .7384962  .3164138 .09748398 123
2016 3 0   -.04862303 .04233585  9.918364 .7321743 .29802006 .10116556 124
2001 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 109
2010 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 118
2011 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 119
2012 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 120
2013 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 121
2014 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 122
2015 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 123
2016 4 0            .   .052996         .        .         .         . 124
1996 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 104
1997 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 105
1998 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 106
1999 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 107
2000 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 108
2004 5 0    .07557066 .03864212  7.082619        1   .563084         0 112
2006 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 114
2007 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 115
2008 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 116
2009 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 117
2010 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 118
2011 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 119
2012 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 120
2013 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 121
2014 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 122
2015 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 123
2016 5 0            . .03864212         .        .         .         . 124
1996 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 104
1997 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 105
1998 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 106
1999 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 107
2000 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 108
2001 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 109
2002 6 0     .0572899 .04523665  8.969716 .7638934  .4895625         0 110
2003 6 0     .1005542 .04523665  9.080692 .9828112  .3894725         0 111
2004 6 0    .08958496 .04523665  9.236841 .9994179  .3882671         0 112
2005 6 0 -.0002067057 .04523665  9.323193        1  .4095679         0 113
2006 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 114
2007 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 115
2008 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 116
2009 6 0            . .04523665         .        .         .         . 117
end
format %ty date
label values yearcountcode fixedston
label def fixedston 104 "USA1996Y", modify
label def fixedston 105 "USA1997Y", modify
label def fixedston 106 "USA1998Y", modify
label def fixedston 107 "USA1999Y", modify
label def fixedston 108 "USA2000Y", modify
label def fixedston 109 "USA2001Y", modify
label def fixedston 110 "USA2002Y", modify
label def fixedston 111 "USA2003Y", modify
label def fixedston 112 "USA2004Y", modify
label def fixedston 113 "USA2005Y", modify
label def fixedston 114 "USA2006Y", modify
label def fixedston 115 "USA2007Y", modify
label def fixedston 116 "USA2008Y", modify
label def fixedston 117 "USA2009Y", modify
label def fixedston 118 "USA2010Y", modify
label def fixedston 119 "USA2011Y", modify
label def fixedston 120 "USA2012Y", modify
label def fixedston 121 "USA2013Y", modify
label def fixedston 122 "USA2014Y", modify
label def fixedston 123 "USA2015Y", modify
label def fixedston 124 "USA2016Y", modify
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Thank you in advance for any insight on this.

Respectfully,
John Rivers