Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting

In this paper, we assess the relevance of real-time datasets for forecasting. We construct a variety of real-time prediction models and evaluate their performance in a series of ex-ante prediction experiments that are designed to mimic forecasting approaches used when constructing forecasts in real-...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andres Fernandez, Norman R. Swanson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIMS Press 2017-04-01
Series:Quantitative Finance and Economics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.aimspress.com/QFE/article/1370/fulltext.html
_version_ 1819061055237652480
author Andres Fernandez
Norman R. Swanson
author_facet Andres Fernandez
Norman R. Swanson
author_sort Andres Fernandez
collection DOAJ
description In this paper, we assess the relevance of real-time datasets for forecasting. We construct a variety of real-time prediction models and evaluate their performance in a series of ex-ante prediction experiments that are designed to mimic forecasting approaches used when constructing forecasts in real-time for output, prices and money. We assess the models within univariate and multivariate frameworks by including revision errors as regressors, allowing us to examine the marginal predictive content of the revision process. In another multivariate application for output we add money, thus examining the real-time predictive content of money for income. The most important result we obtain is that the choice of which release of data to predict seems not to have an impact on which releases of data should be used in estimation and prediction construction but that differences in how to utilize realtime datasets do arise when the variable being modelled and predicted changes. Overall our findings point to the importance of making real-time datasets available to forecasters, as the revision process has marginal predictive content, and because predictive accuracy increases when multiple releases of data are used when specifying and estimating prediction models. This underscores the importance of collecting and maintaining such real-time datasets.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T14:36:48Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d9b72955ed684a75b3e0088c53850db2
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2573-0134
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T14:36:48Z
publishDate 2017-04-01
publisher AIMS Press
record_format Article
series Quantitative Finance and Economics
spelling doaj.art-d9b72955ed684a75b3e0088c53850db22022-12-21T19:00:18ZengAIMS PressQuantitative Finance and Economics2573-01342017-04-011122510.3934/QFE.2017.1.2QFE-01-00002Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic ForecastingAndres Fernandez0Norman R. Swanson1Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank, 1300 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20577, USADepartment of Economics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USAIn this paper, we assess the relevance of real-time datasets for forecasting. We construct a variety of real-time prediction models and evaluate their performance in a series of ex-ante prediction experiments that are designed to mimic forecasting approaches used when constructing forecasts in real-time for output, prices and money. We assess the models within univariate and multivariate frameworks by including revision errors as regressors, allowing us to examine the marginal predictive content of the revision process. In another multivariate application for output we add money, thus examining the real-time predictive content of money for income. The most important result we obtain is that the choice of which release of data to predict seems not to have an impact on which releases of data should be used in estimation and prediction construction but that differences in how to utilize realtime datasets do arise when the variable being modelled and predicted changes. Overall our findings point to the importance of making real-time datasets available to forecasters, as the revision process has marginal predictive content, and because predictive accuracy increases when multiple releases of data are used when specifying and estimating prediction models. This underscores the importance of collecting and maintaining such real-time datasets.http://www.aimspress.com/QFE/article/1370/fulltext.htmlout-of-sample forecastingrationalitypreliminary, final, and real-time data
spellingShingle Andres Fernandez
Norman R. Swanson
Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
Quantitative Finance and Economics
out-of-sample forecasting
rationality
preliminary, final, and real-time data
title Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
title_full Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
title_fullStr Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
title_full_unstemmed Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
title_short Further Evidence on the Usefulness of Real-Time Datasets for Economic Forecasting
title_sort further evidence on the usefulness of real time datasets for economic forecasting
topic out-of-sample forecasting
rationality
preliminary, final, and real-time data
url http://www.aimspress.com/QFE/article/1370/fulltext.html
work_keys_str_mv AT andresfernandez furtherevidenceontheusefulnessofrealtimedatasetsforeconomicforecasting
AT normanrswanson furtherevidenceontheusefulnessofrealtimedatasetsforeconomicforecasting