Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.

Alternative measures of the UK output gap are considered for 1984-2007. The real-time series is strongly affected by the rolling-time estimation of the trend, and produces a picture of the business cycle which is not consistent with contemporary perceptions of the large fluctuations of the late 1980...

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Main Authors: Adam, C, Cobham, D
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Sage 2009
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author Adam, C
Cobham, D
author_facet Adam, C
Cobham, D
author_sort Adam, C
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description Alternative measures of the UK output gap are considered for 1984-2007. The real-time series is strongly affected by the rolling-time estimation of the trend, and produces a picture of the business cycle which is not consistent with contemporary perceptions of the large fluctuations of the late 1980s and early 1990s. A new, 'nearly-real', measure developed here may be better for estimating historical reaction functions. In the context of the current recession, none of these mechanically derived measures of the output gap are useful. Policymakers should make careful estimates of the likely fall in potential output on the basis of other information.
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spelling oxford-uuid:6c39a7cf-6963-4a7a-b676-0cc017cb8aea2022-03-26T19:09:23ZUsing Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6c39a7cf-6963-4a7a-b676-0cc017cb8aeaEnglishDepartment of Economics - ePrintsSage2009Adam, CCobham, DAlternative measures of the UK output gap are considered for 1984-2007. The real-time series is strongly affected by the rolling-time estimation of the trend, and produces a picture of the business cycle which is not consistent with contemporary perceptions of the large fluctuations of the late 1980s and early 1990s. A new, 'nearly-real', measure developed here may be better for estimating historical reaction functions. In the context of the current recession, none of these mechanically derived measures of the output gap are useful. Policymakers should make careful estimates of the likely fall in potential output on the basis of other information.
spellingShingle Adam, C
Cobham, D
Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title_full Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title_fullStr Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title_full_unstemmed Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title_short Using Real-Time Output Gaps to Examine Past and Future Policy Choices.
title_sort using real time output gaps to examine past and future policy choices
work_keys_str_mv AT adamc usingrealtimeoutputgapstoexaminepastandfuturepolicychoices
AT cobhamd usingrealtimeoutputgapstoexaminepastandfuturepolicychoices