Rene Segers

Do Leading Indicators Lead Peaks More Than Troughs

We develop a novel Markov switching vector autoregressive model to investigate the possibility that leading indicators have different lead times at business cycle peaks and at troughs. In this model, coincident and leading indicators share a common Markov state process, but their cycles are nonsynchronous, with the nonsynchronicity varying across regimes. An application shows that on average the Conference Board’s Composite Leading Index leads the Composite Coincident Index by nearly 1 year at peaks but by only 1 quarter at troughs. Allowing for asymmetric lead times yields improved real-time dating and forecasting of business cycle turning points.

Bayesian near-boundary analysis in basic macroeconomic time series models

Several lessons learnt from a Bayesian analysis of basic macroeconomic time series models are presented for the situation where some model parameters have substantial posterior probability near the boundary of the parameter region. This feature refers to near-instability within dynamic models, to forecasting with near-random walk models and to clustering of several economic series in a small number of groups within a data panel. Two canonical models are used: a linear regression model with autocorrelation and a simple variance components model. Several well-known time series models like unit root and error correction models and further state space and panel data models are shown to be simple generalizations of these two canonical models for the purpose of posterior inference. A Bayesian model averaging procedure is presented in order to deal with models with substantial probability both near and at the boundary of the parameter region. Analytical, graphical and empirical results using U.S. macroeconomic data, in particular on GDP growth, are presented.

On the Practice of Bayesian Inference in Basic Economic Time Series Models using Gibbs Sampling

Several lessons learned from a Bayesian analysis of basic economic time series models by means of the Gibbs sampling algorithm are presented. Models include the Cochrane-Orcutt model for serial correlation, the Koyck distributed lag model, the Unit Root model, the Instrumental Variables model and as Hierarchical Linear Mixed Models, the State-Space model and the Panel Data model. We discuss issues involved when drawing Bayesian inference on regression parameters and variance components, in particular when some parameter have substantial posterior probability near the boundary of the parameter region, and show that one should carefully scan the shape of the posterior density function. Analytical, graphical and empirical results are used along the way.