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Do Confidence Indicators Help Predict Economic Activity? The Case of the Czech Republic

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Abstract

We examine whether confidence indicators—and their underlying components—improve the forecasts of future economic activity. Using quarterly data from the Czech Republic in 1999–2011, we estimate a vector autoregression model of the Czech economy (consisting of several commonly used macroeconomic variables) and compare its forecasting performance with models that additionally contain domestic and foreign confidence indicators. Our results suggest that although confidence indicators are contemporaneously well correlated with GDP, they fail to improve the GDP forecasts vis-?-vis the model based on macroeconomic variables only or vis-?-vis autoregressive models.

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  • Roman Horvath, 2012. "Do Confidence Indicators Help Predict Economic Activity? The Case of the Czech Republic," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 62(5), pages 398-412, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:fau:fauart:v:62:y:2012:i:5:p:398-412
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    Cited by:

    1. Rusnák, Marek, 2016. "Nowcasting Czech GDP in real time," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 26-39.
    2. Čižmešija Mirjana & Lukač Zrinka & Novoselec Tomislav, 2019. "Nonlinear optimisation approach to proposing novel Croatian Industrial Confidence Indicator," Croatian Review of Economic, Business and Social Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 5(2), pages 17-26, December.
    3. RNuket Kirci Cevik & Sel Dibooglu & Ali M. Kutan, 2016. "Real and Financial Sector Studies in Central and Eastern Europe: A Review," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 66(1), pages 2-31, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    confidence; GDP; vector autoregression; forecasting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers

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