How Did Leading Indicator Forecasts Perform during the 2001 Recession?
FRB Richmond Economic Quarterly, Vol. 89, No. 3, Summer 2003, pp. 71-90
20 Pages Posted: 5 Dec 2012
Date Written: 2003
Abstract
The 2001 recession differed from other recent recessions in its cause, severity, and scope. Professional forecasters found this recession difficult to forecast. A few leading indicators (stock prices, term spreads, unemployment claims) predicted that growth would slow, but none predicted the sharp economic slowdown. Several previously reliable leading indicators (housing starts, orders for new capital equipment, consumer sentiment) provided no early warning signals. When combined, the leading indicator forecasts performed somewhat better than a benchmark autoregressive forecasting model.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
New Indexes of Coincident and Leading Economic Indicators
By James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson
-
Forecasting Output and Inflation: The Role of Asset Prices
By James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson
-
Predicting U.S. Recessions: Financial Variables as Leading Indicators
-
A Multi-Country Comparison of Term Structure Forecasts at Long Horizons
-
On the Predictive Power of Interest Rates and Interest Rate Spreads
-
Why Does the Paper-Bill Spread Predict Real Economic Activity?
-
A Re-Examination of the Predictability of Economic Activity Using the Yield Spread
By James D. Hamilton and Dong Heon Kim
-
A Re-Examination of the Predictability of Economic Activity Using the Yield Spread
By James D. Hamilton and Dong Heon Kim
-
The Information in the High Yield Bond Spread for the Business Cycle: Evidence and Some Implications
By Mark Gertler and Cara S. Lown
-
The Predictive Content of the Interest Rate Term Spread for Future Economic Growth