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International evidence on professional interest rates forecasts: The impact of forecasting ability

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  • Cukierman, Alex
  • Lustenberger, Thomas

Abstract

This paper develops a model of honest rational professional forecasters with different abilities and submits it to empirical verification using data on three and twelve months ahead forecasts of short term interest rates and of long term bond yields for up to 33 countries using data collected by Consensus Economics. The main finding is that, in many countries, less precise forecasters weigh public information more heavily than more precise forecasters who weigh their own private information relatively more heavily. One implication of this result is that less precise forecasters herd after more precise forecasters even in the absence of strategic considerations. The second part of the paper discusses and examines the cross-country relationships between measures of forecast uncertainty, dispersion of forecasts across individual forecasters and the variabilities of short term interest rates and of long term bonds. The main findings are: (i) Forecast uncertainty and dispersion are positively and significantly related across countries for both short rates and yields. (ii) A similar positive, albeit somewhat weaker, association is found between uncertainty and variability. (iii) Dispersion of short term interest rate forecasts and the variability of those rates are also positively associated. The paper also documents differences between the average forecasting errors of more and less able forecasters as well as substantial correlations between the forecast errors of different forecasters.

Suggested Citation

  • Cukierman, Alex & Lustenberger, Thomas, 2017. "International evidence on professional interest rates forecasts: The impact of forecasting ability," CEPR Discussion Papers 12489, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12489
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ottaviani, Marco & Sorensen, Peter Norman, 2006. "The strategy of professional forecasting," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 441-466, August.
    2. Laura L. Veldkamp, 2011. "Information Choice in Macroeconomics and Finance," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9621.
    3. Marco Ottaviani & Peter Norman Sørensen, 2006. "Reputational cheap talk," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 37(1), pages 155-175, March.
    4. Trueman, Brett, 1994. "Analyst Forecasts and Herding Behavior," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 7(1), pages 97-124.
    5. Cukierman, Alex & Wachtel, Paul, 1982. "Inflationary Expectations: Reply and Further Thoughts on Inflation Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(3), pages 508-512, June.
    6. Scharfstein, David S & Stein, Jeremy C, 1990. "Herd Behavior and Investment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 465-479, June.
    7. Cukierman, Alex & Wachtel, Paul, 1979. "Differential Inflationary Expectations and the Variability of the Rate of Inflation: Theory and Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(4), pages 595-609, September.
    8. Zarnowitz, Victor & Lambros, Louis A, 1987. "Consensus and Uncertainty in Economic Prediction," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(3), pages 591-621, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Forecasting interest rates and bond yields; Impact of forecasting ability on forecast formation; Cross-country relation between forecast dispersion and uncertainty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E47 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • G17 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Financial Forecasting and Simulation

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