中国经济周期波动的典型化事实:一个基于CF滤波的研究

从宏观时间序列经验特征中概括经济周期波动的典型化事实是经济学研究的一项重要课题,也是当前中国经济周期波动研究的欠缺所在.本文采集23个主要宏观经济变量数据,运用新近提出的CF滤波,分解得到它们的周期性成分,并计算这些周期性成分的标准差、自相关系数以及它们之间的时差相关系数.在此基础上,分析了中国经济周期波动的经验特征,总结出中国经济周期波动的典型化事实,并与美国的研究结果加以对比,揭示出中国经济周期波动经验特征和典型化事实的一般性和特殊性.本文的研究进一步验证了Lucas(1977)命题,也有助于为相关理论发展和宏观调控操作提供参照和借鉴.     

On business cycle fluctuations in USA macroeconomic time series

This study employs eighteen USA macroeconomic time series variables to investigate possible existence of asymmetries in business cycle fluctuations in the series. Detection of asymmetric fluctuations in economic activity is important for policymakers since effective monetary policy relies on asymmetric business cycle fluctuations in all the series. The asymmetric deviations from the long-term growth trend in each of the series are modeled using regime switching models and artificial neural networks. The results based on nonlinear switching time series models reveal strong evidence of business cycle asymmetries in most of the series. The results based on in-sample approximations from artificial neural networks show statistically significant evidence of asymmetries in all the series. Similar results are obtained when jackknife out-of-sample approximations from artificial neural networks are used. Thus, the study results show statistically significant evidence of asymmetries in all the series which indicates that business cycle fluctuations in the series are asymmetric, thus alike. Therefore, the impact of monetary policy shocks on the output and the other macroeconomic variables can be anticipated using nonlinear models only. The results on asymmetric business cycle fluctuations in real GDP are in line with recent studies but in sharp contrast with Balke and Fomby (1994).     

BUSINESS CYCLES IN SINGAPORE: STYLIZED FACTS FOR A SMALL OPEN ECONOMY

This paper sets out to discover the salient characteristics of economic fluctuations in the small open economy of Singapore. To this end, band‐pass filters and unobserved components models are first used to extract the cyclical components in macroeconomic variables. The extent to which domestic business cycles are influenced by foreign economic cycles with regards to their persistence, comovement and volatility properties are then assessed using time‐series statistics. The paper also documents how shocks originating from abroad are propagated to the broader economy. Although it is found that idiosyncratic features are present in Singapore's macroeconomic fluctuations, there are also stylized business cycle facts to be learnt about small open economies in general.     

Business cycle asymmetries and non-linearities in U.K. macroeconomic time series

This paper empirically tests for and models non-linearities in a selection of U.K. macroeconomic time series. Attention is focused first on business cycle asymmetry, using Markov chain models to investigate whether cycles in macroeconomic time series display symmetric behaviour on both sides of a peak or trough. Next, a selection of statistical tests of non-linearity are employed to investigate formally the presence of departures from the linearity assumption. A variety of specific non-linear models of the business cycle that have been proposed recently are then fitted to ascertain how useful they are in explaining any non-linearities that have been observed in the series. Finally, the results are brought together in an extended discussion of their implications for business cycle research and policy analysis.     

中国经济周期波动特征变化与宏观经济稳定政策

改革开放以来,尤其是20世纪90年代中期以来,我国经济周期波动特征发生了明显的变化,波动明显趋缓,非线性特征明显减弱,其原因可以归结为改革开放以来我国宏观经济稳定政策的出现以及财政和金融体制改革不断深化所带来的宏观经济稳定政策的制度基础、作用机制和作用工具的逐步完善。为了更好地应对未来可能出现的经济波动,确保经济平稳快速增长,就需要继续深化经济体制改革,消除制约我国宏观经济稳定政策效能发挥的制度障碍,并尽快构建适合我国国情的宏观经济稳定政策的完整理论体系。     

Estimating parameters of real business cycle models

The calibration technique is the most common procedure to match the data generated from an equilibrium business cycle model with actual macroeconomic time series. This paper goes a step further and tests and applies a maximum likelihood procedure, in combination with the simulated annealing, to estimate the parameters of a baseline RBC model from U.S. macroeconomic time series data. The procedure is tested on a simulated data set where the parameters are known and then applied to U.S. time series data. This permits us to evaluate the efficiency of the procedure and the extent to which the RBC model is a good representation of macroeconomic data.     

Fiscal Stabilization in the EMU

This paper analyzes the effects of macroeconomic shocks in the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) using a stylized two-country model. First, it is shown how asymmetries between countries might matter in terms of the resulting business cycle fluctuations. More specifically, country-specific shocks are allowed for as well as cross-national differences in wage behavior. Second, it is shown by means of numerical simulations how national and federal fiscal stabilization policies can be used to dampen business cycle fluctuations in various (a)symmetric settings. The main innovation of the paper is to illustrate how structural differences between countries help to determine the impact of macroeconomic shocks and the effectiveness of fiscal policy.     

BUSINESS FAILURES AND MACROECONOMIC FACTORS IN THE UK

We examine the interactions between business failures and macroeconomic aggregates, and specifically the accounts of policy-induced changes in the macroeconomy for the observed fluctuations of UK business failures in the period 1966–2003 using the vector error-correction model (VECM). The results demonstrate that macroeconomic aggregates, i.e., interest rate, credit, profits, inflation and business births, exert differential impacts on business failures both in the short run and in the long run. The study reveals that structural changes in the financial and real sectors during the examined period have made an impact on the way in which the macroeconomy affects business failures. In particular, business failures are increasingly reacting to monetary policy changes in the post-1980 period. Furthermore, the shocks to business failures can generate large fluctuations in macroeconomic aggregates, suggesting the importance of corporate balance sheets in financial stability and economic growth. The paper's findings carry policy implications that are related to the survival of firms in distress and finance-driven business cycles.     

中国经济周期的非对称性和相关性研究

本文利用时间序列模型等计量方法 ,对一些主要宏观经济变量序列进行随机分解和相关性分析 ,对经济周期的非对称性和长尾性质进行大量实证检验 ,对一些主要宏观经济变量序列之间的扰动和关联进行了计量分析 ,从中不仅识别了经济波动当中的各种非对称类型 ,而且分析了产生非对称的原因。本文分析得到的一些重要检验结果 ,可以作为描述中国经济波动的重要典型化事实 ,可以用于进一步分析和判断中国经济的运行趋势 ,检验和校正相应的经济理论。本文认为中国经济周期的非对称 ,主要是由固定资产投资、财政政策和货币政策的非对称性造成的 ,而价格水平和总需求等因素却保持了比较明显的稳定性。通过经济周期的非对称分析和经济变量周期成分之间的关联性分析 ,我们也具体地分析了宏观经济政策的有效性、方向性和时滞性     

Dynamics of Business Cycles in Asia: Differences and Similarities

The paper documents the extent of similarities and differences of business cycle characteristics of the Asian countries and compares the cyclical regularities in this region with those of the G‐7 countries. The Asian economies are generally more volatile than the G‐7 countries, but the amplitude of economic fluctuations in the Asian countries tends to decrease over time. Comovement and persistence properties of business cycles in the Asian countries are very similar to those of the G‐7 economies. The authors find that while the patterns of business cycle fluctuations in the main macroeconomic aggregates display important similarities, the behavior of fiscal and monetary policy variables exhibits significant differences across the Asian countries. Moreover, there is a high degree of comovement between the individual country business cycles and different measures of the Asian business cycle, indicating that there is a regional business cycle specific to the Asian countries.     

Public investment and regional business cycle fluctuations in Japan

This article examines the relationship between public investment and regional business cycle fluctuations in Japan. In particular, we focus on the effects of ‘discretionary’ changes in public investment, a portion of investment unrelated to the current state of macroeconomic circumstances. The empirical results show that such portions of public investment amplify regional business cycle fluctuations.     

Inventories and the Business Cycle*

This paper examines the relationship between the inventory cy and the business cycle using both macroeconomic and survey da It is argued that over the past decade and a half, the changes inventory management have reduced the amplitude of the inventc cycle. The paper also argues that the behaviour of inventories consistent with demand shocks being an important source of business cycle fluctuations.     

Fiscal policy and the Spanish business cycle

A main result of the RBC literature is that technological factors drive fluctuations of macroeconomic variables around its long-run growth path. Nevertheless, it has been shown that in some countries fluctuations of some fiscal variables may explain some of the business cycle fluctuations. In this paper I show that a result of this sort can be obtained for the Spanish economy. Specifically, I use both technological and fiscal shocks to reproduce the observed volatility of hours of work to output, hours of work to average productivity, and the negative correlation between hours and average productivity.     

宏观经济波动周期的测度

目前关于中国宏观经济波动的争论很多,而且分析一般都基于2005年全国经济普查之前的统计数据作为研究对象,这必然会对分析结果造成不良的影响。为了更准确地分析中国宏观经济波动背后的成因,首先要明确历次经济波动周期的起止时期。本文比较了目前国际上公认比较成熟的四种方法,分别是线形趋势法、H-P滤波法、Band-Pass滤波法和生产函数法,对我国1952—2005年的数据进行分析,使用了2005年全国经济普查之后的统计数据,分别估计出了改革开放以后出现过的经济波动周期的起止时间。通过对这四种方法各自的优点和存在的问题进行分析,经过相互验证,笔者估算出历次宏观经济波动的起止时期,这将为进一步分析历次宏观经济波动背后的成因打下必要的基础。     

Bayesian averaging of classical estimates in forecasting macroeconomic indicators with application of business survey data

In this paper, we develop a methodology for forecasting key macroeconomic indicators, based on business survey data. We estimate a large set of models, using an autoregressive specification, with regressors selected from business and household survey data. Our methodology is based on the Bayesian averaging of classical estimates method. Additionally, we examine the impact of deterministic and stochastic seasonality of the business survey time series on the outcome of the forecasting process. We propose an intuitive procedure for incorporating both types of seasonality into the forecasting process. After estimating the specified models, we check the accuracy of the forecasts.     

The macroeconomic effects of fiscal rules in the US states

Fiscal policy restrictions are often criticized for limiting the ability of governments to react to business cycle fluctuations and, consequently, the adoption of quantitative restrictions is viewed as inevitably leading to increased macroeconomic volatility. In this paper, we use data from 48 US states to investigate how budget rules affect fiscal policy outcomes. Our key findings are that (1) strict budgetary restrictions lead to lower policy volatility (i.e. less aggressive use of discretion in conducting fiscal policy) and (2) fiscal restrictions reduce the responsiveness of fiscal policy to output shocks. These two results should have opposite effects on output volatility. While less discretion should reduce volatility, less responsiveness of fiscal policy might amplify business cycles. We provide empirical support for the first effect: restrictions, by reducing discretion in fiscal policy, can reduce macroeconomic volatility.     

A note on modelling downturns: A non-linear model vs. simple linear autoregressive schemes

This note presents empirical/simulations results which compare a simple Kaldor-type non-linear model and comparable linear autoregressive schemes as models of sharp movements often observed in macroeconomic time series that exhibit persistent fluctuations.     

The HUMP-shaped behavior of macroeconomic fluctuations

We analyze the nature of persistence in macroeconomic fluctuations. The current view is that shocks to macroeconomic variables (in particular realGNP) have effects that endure over an indefinite horizon. This conclusion is drawn from the presence of a unit root in the univariate time series representation. Following Perron (1989), we challenge this assessment arguing that most macroeconomic variables are better construed as stationary fluctuations around a breaking trend function. The trend function is linear in time except for a sudden change in its intercept in 1929 (The Great Crash) and a change in slope after 1973 (following the oil price shock). Using a measure of persistence suggested by Cochrane (1988) we find that shocks have small permanent effects, if any. To analyze the effects of shocks at finite horizon, we select a member of theARMA(p, q) class applied to the appropriately detrended series. For the majority of the variables analyzed the implied weights of the moving-average representation have the once familiar humped shape.     

我国经济周期波动中实际产出波动性的动态模式与成因分析

本文度量了我国经济周期中的条件波动性 ,并检验了导致实际产出波动性降低的主要原因。我们发现 ,我国经济周期波动性与价格和货币等名义经济波动性之间存在密切关系 ;从产出波动性的成分分解来看 ,产出波动性降低的主要原因源于投资波动性、政府支出波动性和净出口波动性的降低 ,而消费波动性继续保持平稳态势。这意味着宏观经济调控在短期内仍然需要采用需求管理的政策工具 ,但长期内应该注重以市场机制为基础的供给管理政策 ,并适当激活名义经济和实际经济活性 ,以保持经济持续、快速和稳定增长。     

Seasonality in macroeconomic time series

Recently, the seasonal characteristics of macroeconomic time series have drawn a lot of attention. It has been argued that the seasonal component of many macroeconomic time series constitutes a major part of the series measured as a proportion of the variance. In addition it has been found that the seasonal component of most macroeconomic time series is constant and best “explained” by seasonal dummies. Specifically it is often found that a Christmas boom is followed by a beginning of the year trough. Based on quarterly and monthly macroeconomic time series from a large number of countries this paper shows that many macroeconomic time series have seasonal components that are changing over time. Furthermore, the Christmas boom and especially the 1st quarter trough is not found nearly as often as one might expect.