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Common factors of commodity prices

Author

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  • Delle Chiaie, Simona
  • Ferrara, Laurent
  • Giannone, Domenico

Abstract

In this paper we extract latent factors from a large cross-section of commodity prices, including fuel and non-fuel commodities. We decompose each commodity price series into a global (or common) component, block-specific components and a purely idiosyncratic shock. We find that the bulk of the fluctuations in commodity prices is well summarised by a single global factor. This global factor is closely related to fluctuations in global economic activity and its importance in explaining commodity price variations has increased since the 2000s, especially for oil prices. JEL Classification: C51, C53, Q02

Suggested Citation

  • Delle Chiaie, Simona & Ferrara, Laurent & Giannone, Domenico, 2017. "Common factors of commodity prices," Working Paper Series 2112, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20172112
    Note: 753337
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    commodity prices; dynamic factor models; forecasting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation
    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • Q02 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Commodity Market

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