IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2402.10574.html

Nowcasting with Mixed Frequency Data Using Gaussian Processes

Author

Listed:
  • Niko Hauzenberger
  • Massimiliano Marcellino
  • Michael Pfarrhofer
  • Anna Stelzer

Abstract

We develop Bayesian machine learning methods for mixed data sampling (MIDAS) regressions. This involves handling frequency mismatches and specifying functional relationships between many predictors and the dependent variable. We use Gaussian processes (GPs) and compress the input space with structured and unstructured MIDAS variants. This yields several versions of GP-MIDAS with distinct properties and implications, which we evaluate in short-horizon now- and forecasting exercises with both simulated data and data on quarterly US output growth and inflation in the GDP deflator. It turns out that our proposed framework leverages macroeconomic Big Data in a computationally efficient way and offers gains in predictive accuracy compared to other machine learning approaches along several dimensions.

Suggested Citation

  • Niko Hauzenberger & Massimiliano Marcellino & Michael Pfarrhofer & Anna Stelzer, 2024. "Nowcasting with Mixed Frequency Data Using Gaussian Processes," Papers 2402.10574, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2402.10574
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.10574
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claudia Foroni & Massimiliano Marcellino & Christian Schumacher, 2015. "Unrestricted mixed data sampling (MIDAS): MIDAS regressions with unrestricted lag polynomials," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 178(1), pages 57-82, January.
    2. Michael W. McCracken & Serena Ng, 2016. "FRED-MD: A Monthly Database for Macroeconomic Research," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(4), pages 574-589, October.
    3. Kastner, Gregor & Frühwirth-Schnatter, Sylvia, 2014. "Ancillarity-sufficiency interweaving strategy (ASIS) for boosting MCMC estimation of stochastic volatility models," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 408-423.
    4. Pettenuzzo, Davide & Timmermann, Allan & Valkanov, Rossen, 2016. "A MIDAS approach to modeling first and second moment dynamics," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 193(2), pages 315-334.
    5. JÖrg Breitung & Christoph Roling, 2015. "Forecasting Inflation Rates Using Daily Data: A Nonparametric MIDAS Approach," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 588-603, November.
    6. Giacomini, Raffaella & Komunjer, Ivana, 2005. "Evaluation and Combination of Conditional Quantile Forecasts," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 23, pages 416-431, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Goulet Coulombe & Massimiliano Marcellino & Dalibor Stevanovic, 2025. "Panel Machine Learning with Mixed-Frequency Data: Monitoring State-Level Fiscal Variables," CIRANO Working Papers 2025s-15, CIRANO.
    2. Marcellino, Massimiliano & Pfarrhofer, Michael, 2025. "Nonparametric mixed frequency monitoring macro-at-risk," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    3. Philippe Goulet Coulombe & Maximilian Goebel & Karin Klieber, 2024. "Dual Interpretation of Machine Learning Forecasts," Papers 2412.13076, arXiv.org.
    4. Maximilian Boeck & Massimiliano Marcellino & Michael Pfarrhofer & Tommaso Tornese, 2024. "Predicting Tail-Risks for the Italian Economy," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 20(3), pages 339-366, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Philippe Goulet Coulombe & Mikael Frenette & Karin Klieber, 2023. "From Reactive to Proactive Volatility Modeling with Hemisphere Neural Networks," Papers 2311.16333, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2024.
    2. Mogliani, Matteo & Simoni, Anna, 2021. "Bayesian MIDAS penalized regressions: Estimation, selection, and prediction," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 222(1), pages 833-860.
    3. Hauzenberger, Niko & Huber, Florian & Klieber, Karin & Marcellino, Massimiliano, 2025. "Bayesian neural networks for macroeconomic analysis," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 249(PC).
    4. Chuliá, Helena & Garrón, Ignacio & Uribe, Jorge M., 2024. "Daily growth at risk: Financial or real drivers? The answer is not always the same," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 762-776.
    5. Todd E. Clark & Florian Huber & Gary Koop & Massimiliano Marcellino, 2022. "Forecasting US Inflation Using Bayesian Nonparametric Models," Papers 2202.13793, arXiv.org.
    6. Pfarrhofer, Michael, 2022. "Modeling tail risks of inflation using unobserved component quantile regressions," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    7. Richard Schnorrenberger & Aishameriane Schmidt & Guilherme Valle Moura, 2024. "Harnessing Machine Learning for Real-Time Inflation Nowcasting," Working Papers 806, DNB.
    8. Hauzenberger, Niko, 2021. "Flexible Mixture Priors for Large Time-varying Parameter Models," Econometrics and Statistics, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 87-108.
    9. Todd E. Clark & Florian Huber & Gary Koop & Massimiliano Marcellino & Michael Pfarrhofer, 2023. "Tail Forecasting With Multivariate Bayesian Additive Regression Trees," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(3), pages 979-1022, August.
    10. Karlsson, Sune & Mazur, Stepan & Nguyen, Hoang, 2023. "Vector autoregression models with skewness and heavy tails," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    11. Deschamps, Bruno & Ioannidis, Christos & Ka, Kook, 2020. "High-frequency credit spread information and macroeconomic forecast revision," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 358-372.
    12. Hauzenberger, Niko & Huber, Florian & Klieber, Karin & Marcellino, Massimiliano, 2025. "Machine learning the macroeconomic effects of financial shocks," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    13. Niko Hauzenberger & Florian Huber & Gary Koop & James Mitchell, 2020. "Bayesian Modelling of TVP-VARs Using Regression Trees," Working Papers 2308, University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2023.
    14. Manfred M. Fischer & Florian Huber & Michael Pfarrhofer, 2018. "The transmission of uncertainty shocks on income inequality: State-level evidence from the United States," Working Papers in Economics 2018-4, University of Salzburg.
    15. Michael Pfarrhofer, 2024. "Forecasts with Bayesian vector autoregressions under real time conditions," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 771-801, April.
    16. Sarun Kamolthip, 2021. "Macroeconomic Forecasting with LSTM and Mixed Frequency Time Series Data," PIER Discussion Papers 165, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Jon Ellingsen & Vegard H. Larsen & Leif Anders Thorsrud, 2020. "News Media vs. FRED-MD for Macroeconomic Forecasting," CESifo Working Paper Series 8639, CESifo.
    18. Simon Lineu Umbach, 2020. "Forecasting with supervised factor models," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 169-190, January.
    19. Julia Ladeira Ferreira & Pedro L. Valls Pereira, 2025. "Transmuting Unequally Spaced Data," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 21(1), pages 25-48, November.
    20. Ooft, Gavin & Bhaghoe, Sailesh & Hans Franses, Philip, 2021. "Forecasting annual inflation in Suriname," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2402.10574. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://arxiv.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.