How Stable is the Predictive Power of the Yield Curve? Evidence from Germany and the United States
32 Pages Posted: 6 Jan 2001
Date Written: September 2000
Abstract
Empirical research over the last decade has uncovered predictive relationships between the slope of the yield curve and subsequent real activity and inflation. Some of these relationships are highly significant, but their theoretical motivations suggest that they may not be stable over time. We use recent econometric techniques for break testing to examine whether the empirical relationships are in fact stable. We consider continuous models, which predict either economic growth or inflation, and binary models, which predict either recessions or inflationary pressure. In each case, we draw on evidence from Germany and the United States. Models that predict real activity are more stable than those that predict inflation, and binary models are more stable than continuous models. The model that predicts recessions is stable over our full sample period in both Germany and the United States.
Keywords: yield curve, binary models, recession
JEL Classification: E44, C22, C52
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
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