MIDAS versus mixed-frequency VAR : nowcasting GDP in the euro area /

This paper compares the mixed-data sampling (MIDAS) and mixed-frequency VAR (MF-VAR) approaches to model speci…cation in the presence of mixed-frequency data, e.g., monthly and quarterly series. MIDAS leads to parsimonious models based on exponential lag polynomials for the coe¢ cients, whereas MF-V...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kuzin, Vladimir
Other Authors: Massimiliano Marcellino, 1970-, Schumacher, Christian
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Frankfurt am Main : Deutsche Bundesbank, 2009
Series:Discussion paper (Deutsche Bundesbank). Series 1: economic studies no. 07/2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/27661/1/200907dkp.pdf
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Summary:This paper compares the mixed-data sampling (MIDAS) and mixed-frequency VAR (MF-VAR) approaches to model speci…cation in the presence of mixed-frequency data, e.g., monthly and quarterly series. MIDAS leads to parsimonious models based on exponential lag polynomials for the coe¢ cients, whereas MF-VAR does not restrict the dynamics and therefore can su¤er from the curse of dimensionality. But if the restrictions imposed by MIDAS are too stringent, the MF-VAR can perform better. Hence, it is di¢ cult to rank MIDAS and MF-VAR a priori, and their relative ranking is better evaluated empirically. In this paper, we compare their performance in a relevant case for policy making, i.e., nowcasting and forecasting quarterly GDP growth in the euro area, on a monthly basis and using a set of 20 monthly indicators. It turns out that the two approaches are more complementary than substitutes, since MF-VAR tends to perform better for longer horizons, whereas MIDAS for shorter horizons.
Physical Description:27 p.
Bibliography:Bibliografía: p. 15-17.
ISBN:9783865585080