Indeterminate forecast accuracy under indeterminacy

This paper studies whether the observed time variation in the forecast accuracy of macro-econometric models can be reconciled with the monetary policy stance that induces (in)determinacy in stylized DSGE models. Using a small-scale New Keynesian monetary framework as laboratory and structural parameters calibrated to the estimates obtained on U.S. data from different macroeconomics regimes, we exploit reduced-form econometric models – such as Vector Autoregressions – to assess their regime-specific forecastability. We show that conducting (pseudo) out-of-sample forecast comparisons in the presence of indeterminacy is a non-trivial exercise, even when sunspot shocks play no role in generating the data. Overall, our simulation experiment suggests that equilibrium indeterminacy need not lead to superior (absolute or relative) forecast accuracy. This finding challenges the view that the deteriorating performance of forecast models over the Great Moderation relative to the Great Inflation was entirely due to changes in the U.S. monetary policy.     

An international comparison of analysis' earnings forecast accuracy

A major task of financial analysts working for stockbrokers and investment firms is to forecast future earnings of listed companies. The usefulness of their work crucially depends on the accuracy of the forecasts. A great many studies have examined the accuracy, bias, and other characteristics of profit forecasts made in the U.S. In contrast, however, there is very little research on forecasting accuracy in other countries despite the increasingly global nature of investing. This paper examines the accuracy of corporate earnings forecasts in 34 different countries. In addition, a model is developed that seeks to explain differences across companies and countries. The findings show that eight countries have better forecast accuracy than the U.S. This cross-sectional model shows that with the inherent difficulty in forecasting for a specific company (proxied by the change in its earnings), risk and the number of analysts following the stock are the major factors in explaining earnings forecast accuracy.     

SEC FRR No. 48 and analyst forecast accuracy

SEC FRR No. 48 requires that all firms report their market risk exposures by choosing among three alternative formats: sensitivity analysis, tabular and value at risk (VaR). In this article, we examine how different methods affect analyst forecast accuracy. By regressing analyst forecast errors on a company’s choice of disclosure method, we find that analyst forecast errors are smaller for firms using VaR and tabular than for firms using sensitivity analysis. Our findings suggest that VaR and tabular approaches are more informative than sensitivity analysis.     

Improving forecast accuracy of financial vulnerability: PLS factor model approach

We present a factor augmented forecasting model for assessing the financial vulnerability in Korea. Dynamic factor models often extract latent common factors from a large panel of time series data via the method of the principal components (PC). Instead, we employ the partial least squares (PLS) method that estimates target specific common factors, utilizing covariances between predictors and the target variable. Applying PLS to 198 monthly frequency macroeconomic time series variables and the Bank of Korea's Financial Stress Index (KFSTI), our PLS factor augmented forecasting models consistently outperformed the random walk benchmark model in out-of-sample prediction exercises in all forecast horizons we considered. Our models also outperformed the autoregressive benchmark model in short-term forecast horizons. We expect our models would provide useful early warning signs of the emergence of systemic risks in Korea's financial markets.     

Bayesian estimation of social welfare and tax progressivity measures

This paper examines Bayesian methods of examining posterior distributions of inequality, concentration, tax progressivity and social welfare measures. Use is made of an explicit income distribution assumption and two alternative assumptions regarding the distribution of pre-tax mean incomes within each income group. The methods are applied to a simulated distribution of individual incomes and tax payments. It is possible to identify a minimum acceptable number of income classes to be used. The results suggest support for the use of group means in practical applications, particularly where large sample sizes are available. First version received: August 2000/Final version received: July 2001 RID="*" ID="*"  This research was supported by a Melbourne University Faculty of Economics and Commerce Research Grant. We should like to thank Bill Griffiths and two referees for comments on an earlier draft.     

Model stability and forecast performance of Beta-t-EGARCH

We show that the model stability of the recent QAR(1) plus Beta-t-EGARCH(1,1) is superior to that of the well-known ARMA(1,1) plus t-GARCH(1,1) because QAR plus Beta-t-EGARCH discounts extreme observations, while ARMA plus t-GARCH accentuates them. Model stability of QAR plus Beta-t-EGARCH is an elegant property; however, we show that the out-of-sample density forecast performance of ARMA plus t-GARCH is superior to that of QAR plus Beta-t-EGARCH. We study model stability and density forecast performance for a set of rolling data windows. We use data on the S&P 500 index for the period 1990–2015. For robustness analysis, we also study Monte Carlo simulations of asset returns for the stochastic volatility model.     

Fiscal rules and budget forecast errors of Italian municipalities

We study the impact of the domestic stability pact on the accuracy of budget forecasts of Italian municipalities. Identification of the causal effect exploits a quasi-natural experiment generated by the removal in 2001 of the fiscal restraints on budget decisions for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants and by stricter budgetary restrictions and severe penalties for noncompliers in 2002. We find that relaxing fiscal rules had a sizeable impact on budget forecast errors, especially in 2002. In fact, revenue (expenditure) forecast errors for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants became 26% (22%) larger than in the past.     

Growth forecast errors and government investment and consumption multipliers

We compare government investment and consumption multipliers in developed economies during the initial years of the ongoing fiscal consolidation. We find that, in countries with high public debt, the investment multiplier is likely to be higher than what has been assumed by policy-makers and higher than the consumption multiplier. This leads to the conclusion that the consolidation should be accompanied by increased public investment.     

Comparisons of heterogeneous distributions and dominance criteria

We are interested in the comparisons of standard-of-living across societies when observations of both income and household structure are available. We generalise the approach of A.B. Atkinson and F. Bourguignon (1987) [3] to the case where the marginal distributions of needs can vary across the household populations under comparison. We assume that a sympathetic observer uses a utilitarian social welfare function in order to rank heterogeneous income distributions. Insofar as any individual can play the role of the observer, we take the unanimity point of view according to which the planner?s judgements have to comply with a certain number of basic normative principles. We impose increasingly restrictive conditions on the household?s utility function and we investigate their effects on the resulting rankings of the distributions. This leads us to propose four dominance criteria that can be used for providing an unambiguous ranking of income distributions for heterogeneous populations.     

Alternate signs of life: The growth of biotechnology industries in Shanghai and Bangalore

This paper explores the emergence of biotechnology centers in Shanghai and Bangalore by comparing their development to best practices in the literature for biotechnology cluster growth and development. Interviews with over fifty biotech companies and related institutions in China and India indicate that these regions are developing alternate models of low cost manufacturing and services that build on the current local base of knowledge and expertise. The ability to convert research into successful commercial activity was identified in both regions. The strong research capacity, private sector funding, and entrepreneurial environment deemed critical best practices were limited. New growth theory is used to explain these alternate approaches to technological and social change.     

Midpoint method and accuracy of variability forecasting

This study develops an alternative variability forecasting method, the midpoint method. This method, along with the interval computing and OLS lower and upper bound methods in the literature, is applied to predict variability in the stock market and mortgage rates. Results suggest that both the midpoint and interval computing methods can generate significantly higher accuracy in variability forecasts than the OLS lower and upper bound method. Nonetheless, the midpoint method requires less asymmetric distribution of input data than the interval computing.     

Analyst earnings forecast revisions and the persistence of antidumping relief

Panel corrected standard errors with instrumental variables and effects are invoked to assess the significance of earnings forecast revisions around critical dates in non-steel AD petitions filed in 1985–1987. These petitions were filed between two important US trade law revisions (1984 and 1988), and the period encompasses significant stock market advances and declines. Event studies have been invoked to assess the value of AD petitions. However, they do not estimate the temporal distribution of any abnormal returns. Because analysts make quarterly earnings forecast revisions over several horizons, we can assess the short and long run value of petitions. We find that AD petitions tend to depress earnings forecasts in the year of the petition. However, second year earnings forecasts tend to be revised upwards. There is no effect on five year (long term) earnings growth forecasts. Hence any benefits of protection do not persist. There is evidence that analysts anticipate the filing by revising forecasts in the three months in advance of the filing. We also find that AD petitions do not affect the accuracy of forecasts.     

Consumer confidence and consumption forecast: a non-parametric approach

The consumer confidence index is a highly observed indicator among short-term analysts and news reporters and it is generally considered to convey some useful information about the short-term evolution of consumer expenditure. However, its usefulness in forecasting households consumption is sometimes questioned in empirical studies. A possible weakness can be due to the use of a linear functional form to model the relation between these two variables. Here, in order to overcome this issue, a non-parametric model is used, so that overly restrictive assumptions about the functional form can be avoided.     

Alternate forecasts of the job content and skill requirements of the American economy in 1980

This paper analyzes the potential job content and skill requirements of the American economy in 1980 under three alternate economic futures. Detailed occupational manpower requirements are generated on the basis of a “Status Quo” economy, a “Social Welfare” economy, and a “Defense” economy in the near future. Occupational manpower requirements are then translated into a Job Family-Skill Content classification to determine how these alternate national priority choices may affect future requirements for specific jobs, skills, educational preparation, and vocational training. The results obtained indicate the job families and skill classifications most sensitive to changes in basic economic parameters, and also identify long run trends in manpower and educational requirements unaffected by shifting social priorities and patterns of federal expenditures. The implications of these findings for manpower and educational planning are briefly discussed.     

A forecast evaluation of the Riksbank's policy-rate projections

This paper evaluates the forecasting performance of the policy-rate path published by the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank. Using data from 2007 to 2019, I find that the Riksbank's forecast has been relatively inaccurate compared to a forecast inferred from market pricing. My analysis indicates that this result is primarily driven by events during the period 2010–2014. This coincides with a period during which the Riksbank arguably “leaned against the wind” and a potential link is discussed in the paper.     

The accuracy of OECD forecasts

This paper examines the accuracy and properties of forecasts by the OECD for 24 countries and 8 variables. First the forecasts made in December of yeart?1 for yeart are examined, with the largest errors being for investment, industrial production and foreign balance. Next the way forecasts are revised between December and July is considered. Systematic revisions occur for Iceland, Turkey and Luxembourg. Finally the accuracy of forecasts made before, during and after the 1979 oil price rises are compared, and no evidence of a worsening of accuracy is found.     

Executive shareholding,compensation, and analyst forecast of Chinese firms

We examine the impact of executive and leadership shareholding and cash compensation on analyst forecast error and dispersion as proxies for information asymmetry. We find that firms pay higher compensation (or excess compensation) to executives and directors are associated with higher information asymmetry. The positive association is stronger where executives’ and directors’ shareholdings are higher. Shareholding appears to facilitate managerial entrenchment and gives highly paid executives/leadership stronger structural power which adversely affects information disclosure leading to larger forecast error and dispersion. These results are robust to different measures of compensation and alternative models controlling for the predictability of firm-level earnings. Our findings indicate that executive/director shareholding and compensation do not provide sufficient incentives for information disclosure by Chinese firms.     

Outline of forecast theory using generalized cost functions

The cost functions used to form forecasts in practice may be quite different than the squared costs that is often assumed in forecast theory. The impact on evaluation procedures is determined and simple properties for the derivate of the cost function of the errors are found to provide simple tests of optimality. For a very limited class of situations are forecasts based on conditional means optimal, generally, the econometricians needs to provide the whole conditional predicted distribution. Implications for multi-step forecasts and the combination of forecasts are briefly considered.     

Exact aggregation and estimation

In this paper we provide sufficient conditions, which, when combined with recent developments in the theory of exact aggregation, permit estimation of group specific demand systems when micro-level information is unavailable. We illustrate the approach by estimating group specific cost of living indices using only readily available census information and aggregate expenditure data.     

The role of macroeconomic and policy uncertainty in density forecast dispersion

We explore empirically the role of macroeconomic and policy uncertainty in explaining dispersion in professional forecasters’ density forecasts, and in explaining individual forecaster uncertainty (defined as the uncertainty expressed by individual forecasters in their density forecasts). We focus on US real output growth and inflation, using data from the Philadelphia Fed's quarterly Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF), 1992-2016. We find that dispersion in individual density forecasts is related to macroeconomic uncertainty, especially in longer horizon forecasts, but not policy or forecaster uncertainty. There is also little evidence that forecaster uncertainty reflects macroeconomic or policy uncertainty.