The present invention utilizes a cross-prediction scheme to predict values
of discrete and continuous time observation data, wherein conditional
variance of each continuous time tube variable is fixed to a small
positive value. By allowing cross-predictions in an ARMA based model,
values of continuous and discrete observations in a time series are
accurately predicted. The present invention accomplishes this by
extending an ARMA model such that a first time series "tube" is utilized
to facilitate or "cross-predict" values in a second time series tube to
form an "ARMAxp" model. In general, in the ARMAxp model, the distribution
of each continuous variable is a decision graph having splits only on
discrete variables and having linear regressions with continuous
regressors at all leaves, and the distribution of each discrete variable
is a decision graph having splits only on discrete variables and having
additional distributions at all leaves.