Monetary Policy in Real Time
35 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2005
There are 2 versions of this paper
Date Written: March 2005
Abstract
We analyze the panel of the Greenbook forecasts (sample 1970-1996) and a large panel of monthly variables for the US (sample 1970-2003) and show that the bulk of dynamics of both the variables and their forecasts is explained by two shocks. Moreover, a two factor model which exploits, in real time, information on many time series to extract a two dimensional signal, produces a degree of forecasting accuracy of the federal funds rate similar to that of the markets, and, for output and inflation, similar to that of the Greenbook forecasts. This leads us to conclude that the stochastic dimension of the US economy is two. We also show that dimension two is generated by a real and nominal shock, with output mainly driven by the real shock and inflation by the nominal shock. The implication is that, by tracking any forecastable measure of real activity and price dynamics, the Central Bank can track all fundamental dynamics in the economy.
Keywords: Taylor rules, real time analysis, monetary policy, forecasting, large datasets
JEL Classification: C33, C53, E52, E58
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
The Generalized Dynamic Factor Model: One-Sided Estimation and Forecasting
By Mario Forni, Marc Hallin, ...
-
Arbitrage, Factor Structure, and Mean-Variance Analysis on Large Asset Markets
-
By James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson
-
Monetary Policy in a Data-Rich Environment
By Ben S. Bernanke and Jean Boivin
-
Eurocoin: A Real Time Coincident Indicator of the Euro Area Business Cycle
By Filippo Altissimo, Antonio Bassanetti, ...
-
Are More Data Always Better for Factor Analysis?
By Jean Boivin and Serena Ng
-
Implications of Dynamic Factor Models for VAR Analysis
By James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson
-
By Domenico Giannone, Lucrezia Reichlin, ...
-
Tracking Greenspan: Systematic and Unsystematic Monetary Policy Revisited
By Domenico Giannone, Lucrezia Reichlin, ...