Leading Indicators of German Business Cycles. An Assessment of Properties / Frühindikatoren der deutschen Konjunktur. Eine Beurteilung ihrer Eigenschaften

2002 ◽  
Vol 222 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Fritsche ◽  
Sabine Stephan
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Frequency Domain Analysis ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Reference Series ◽  
Out Of Sample ◽  
Causality Tests ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
German Data

SummaryA reliable leading indicator should possess the following properties: (1) The movements in the indicator series should resemble those in the business cycle reference series. (2) The relation between the reference series and the indicator should be statistically significant and stable over time. (3) The inclusion of the indicator in out-of-sample forecasting procedures should improve the predictive power. Our analysis deals with tests for these requirements applied to German data. We used frequency domain analysis, different Granger-causality tests and out-of sample forecasts. Only few indicators passed all tests. Their inclusion into VAR-based forecasts improves the forecast in the very short run. Further research should concentrate on the unsolved problem of the prediction of business cycle turning points.

scholarly journals Forecasting Macedonian Business Cycle Turning Points Using Qual Var Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Magdalena Petrovska ◽  
Aneta Krstevska ◽  
Nikola Naumovski
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Var Model ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Out Of Sample ◽  
The Business Cycle

Abstract This paper aims at assessing the usefulness of leading indicators in business cycle research and forecast. Initially we test the predictive power of the economic sentiment indicator (ESI) within a static probit model as a leading indicator, commonly perceived to be able to provide a reliable summary of the current economic conditions. We further proceed analyzing how well an extended set of indicators performs in forecasting turning points of the Macedonian business cycle by employing the Qual VAR approach of Dueker (2005). In continuation, we evaluate the quality of the selected indicators in pseudo-out-of-sample context. The results show that the use of survey-based indicators as a complement to macroeconomic data work satisfactory well in capturing the business cycle developments in Macedonia.

Predicting Turning Points of the Business Cycle: Do Financial Sector Variables Help?

2013 ◽  
pp. 63-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pestova
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Macroeconomic Dynamics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
Binary Choice Model

The objective of this study is to develop a system of leading indicators of the business cycle turning points for a wide range of countries, including Russia, over a period of more than thirty years. We use a binary choice model with the dependent variable of the state of economy: the recession, there is no recession. These models allow us to assess how likely is the change of macroeconomic dynamics from positive to negative and vice versa. Empirical analysis suggests that the inclusion of financial sector variables into equation can significantly improve the predictive power of the models of the turning points of business cycles. At the same time, models with financial and real sector variables obtained in the paper outperform the "naive" models based only on the leading indicator of GDP in the OECD methodology due to either a lower level of noise (recession model) or a higher predictive power (model of the recovery from recession).

Reforming the Labour Market in Good and Bad Times

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britta Gehrke ◽  
Enzo Weber
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Markov Switching ◽  
Matching Theory ◽  
Market Reforms ◽  
Structural Reforms ◽  
Labour Market Reforms ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Business Cycle

This chapter discusses how the effects of structural labour market reforms depend on whether the economy is in expansion or recession. Based on an empirical time series model with Markov switching that draws on search and matching theory, we propose a novel identification of reform outcomes and distinguish the effects of structural reforms that increase the flexibility of the labour market in distinct phases of the business cycle. We find in applications to Germany and Spain that reforms which are implemented in recessions have weaker expansionary effects in the short run. For policymakers, these results emphasize the costs of introducing labour market reforms in recessions.

scholarly journals German forecasters’ narratives: How informative are German business cycle forecast reports?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Müller
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Recursive Estimation ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Inflation Forecasts ◽  
Fixed Effects Panel Regression ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
Out Of Sample ◽  
Different Characteristics

AbstractBased on German business cycle forecast reports covering 10 German institutions for the period 1993–2017, the paper analyses the information content of German forecasters’ narratives for German business cycle forecasts. The paper applies textual analysis to convert qualitative text data into quantitative sentiment indices. First, a sentiment analysis utilizes dictionary methods and text regression methods, using recursive estimation. Next, the paper analyses the different characteristics of sentiments. In a third step, sentiment indices are used to test the efficiency of numerical forecasts. Using 12-month-ahead fixed horizon forecasts, fixed-effects panel regression results suggest some informational content of sentiment indices for growth and inflation forecasts. Finally, a forecasting exercise analyses the predictive power of sentiment indices for GDP growth and inflation. The results suggest weak evidence, at best, for in-sample and out-of-sample predictive power of the sentiment indices.

How to Hedge Against Inflation Risk in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Thanh-Binh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Power ◽  
Gold Price ◽  
Price Stability ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Inflation Risk ◽  
Monthly Data ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Us ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Us Dollar

Abstract Vietnam has experienced galloping inflation and faced serious dollarization since its reform. To effectively control its inflation for promoting price stability, it is necessary to find efficacious leading indicators and the hedging mechanism. Using monthly data over the period from January 1997 to June 2020, this study finds the predictive power and hedge effectiveness of both gold and the US dollar on inflation in the long-run and short-run within the asymmetric framework. Especially, the response of inflation to the shocks of gold price and the US dollar are quick and decisive, disclosing the sensitiveness of inflation to these two variables.

Judging the stance of the business cycle

2021 ◽  
pp. 222-240
Author(s):  
Jesper Rangvid
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Economic Variables ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Business Cycle

This chapter describes if and how we can detect business-cycle turning points. What variables should we study if we want to say something about the likelihood that the business cycle will change? The chapter discusses business-cycle ‘indicators’. It distinguishes between lagging, coincident, and leading indicators. Lagging indicators refer to economic variables that react to a change in the business cycle, i.e. variables that react after a business-cycle turning point. Coincident indicators tell us something about where we are right now in the business cycle. Leading indicators, which are probably the most important ones, tell us about the near-term outlook for the business cycle, i.e. forecast the business cycle. The chapter emphasizes that business-cycle turning points are hard to predict, but also that some indicators are more informative than others.

The Association Between Bank Credit Terms and Conditions and the Business Cycle in the Euro Area

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Anastasiou ◽  
Konstantinos Drakos
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Euro Area ◽  
Bank Loan ◽  
Bank Credit ◽  
Monetary Policies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Loan Terms ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Business Cycle

Abstract We explored the trajectory of bank loan terms and conditions over the business cycle, where the latter was decomposed into its long-run (trend) and short-run (cyclical) components. We found that deterioration of each business cycle component leads to a significant tightening of credit terms and conditions. We found mixed results concerning the symmetry of impacts of the short and long run components. Symmetry was found between the terms and conditions on loans for small vs. large enterprises. Our findings provide very useful information to policy makers and should be taken into consideration when monetary policies are designed.

A Long View of the UK Business Cycle

2002 ◽  
Vol 182 ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagjit S. Chadha ◽  
Charles Nolan
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Nominal Interest Rates ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The Uk ◽  
External Sector

We outline a number of ‘stylised’ facts on the UK business cycle obtained from analysis of the long-run UK annual dataset. The findings are to some extent standard. Consumption and investment are pro-cyclical, with productivity playing a dominant role in explaining business cycle fluctuations at all horizons. Money neutrality obtains over the long run but there is clear evidence of non-neutrality over the short run, particularly at the business cycle frequencies. Business cycle relationships with the external sector via the real exchange rate and current account are notable. Postwar, the price level is counter-cyclical and real wages are pro-cyclical, as are nominal interest rates. Modern general equilibrium macroeconomic models capture many of these patterns.

scholarly journals Uncertainty and Contradiction: An Essay on the Business Cycle

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michalis Nikiforos
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
The Other ◽  
Financial Instability ◽  
Wage Share ◽  
Hyman Minsky ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The One

The paper develops a model of economic fluctuations in the medium run and their relation with the short-run macroeconomic equilibrium. The business cycle is the result of two separate forces. On the one hand, there is Harrodian instability. On the other hand, this instability is contained by the inherent contradictions of capitalism. I focus on two of these contradictions: the profit-squeeze that results from the tightening of the labor market as employment and utilization increase, and the financial instability hypothesis as formulated by Hyman Minsky. With the inclusion of overhead labor, the model can explain the U-shaped behavior of the wage share along the business cycle (wage share decreases for low levels of utilization and increases for higher levels) that prevailed in most of the post-WWII period, as well as the decrease in the wage share as utilization increases that has been observed in the most recent cycles.

An Assessment of OECD and UK Leading Indicators

1996 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Weale
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Var Models ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
Good Ability ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The Uk

Leading indicators are produced by both the OECD and the UK Office of National Statistics as tools for predicting turning points of the business cycle. An assessment on the basis of performance at turning points is frustrated by their scarcity. It is found that the indicators generally have significant (but not good) ability to predict changes in the direction of the variable they are intended to lead. When they are included in VAR models the standard error of quarter on quarter changes is generally lower than when pure autoregressions are used. However, the forecasting power of such equations is poor, and the general conclusion is that such indicators are not good forecasting tools.

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