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Monitoring Business Cycles with Structural Breaks

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  • Marcelle, Chauvet
  • Simon, Potter

Abstract

This paper examines the predictive content of coincident variables for monitoring U.S. recessions in the presence of instabilities. We propose several specifications of a probit model for classifying phases of the business cycle. We find strong evidence in favor of the ones that allow for the possibility that the economy has experienced recurrent breaks. The recession probabilities of these models provide a clearer classification of the business cycle into expansion and recession periods, and superior performance in the ability to correctly call recessions and to avoid false recession signals. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of these models are far superior as well as their ability to timely signal recessions. The results indicate the importance of considering recurrent breaks for monitoring business cycles.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcelle, Chauvet & Simon, Potter, 2007. "Monitoring Business Cycles with Structural Breaks," MPRA Paper 15097, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 31 Apr 2009.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:15097
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Marcelle Chauvet & James D. Hamilton, 2006. "Dating Business Cycle Turning Points," Contributions to Economic Analysis, in: Nonlinear Time Series Analysis of Business Cycles, pages 1-54, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Recession; Instability; Bayesian Methods; Probit model; Breaks.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications

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