Do probit models help in forecasting turning points of German business cycles?

In this paper we used a data set constructed for a companion paper (Fritsche/Stephan, 2000) where we explored the leading indicator properties of different time series for the German business cycle. Now we test for the ability of different indicator series to forecast recessions by using a probit approach as proposed by Estrella/Mishkin (1997). The dating procedure refers to the study by Artis et. al. (1997). We took into consideration the criticism made by Dueker (1997) who stated that in the probit model the fact that the economy is already in a state of recession must be controlled for. The results of our estimate are unsatisfactory on the whole. Only the ifo institute's business expectation of producers of intermediate inputs, the interest rate spread, the long-term interest rate, and money supply M2 show satisfactory leading properties.business cycle, probit model, modified McFadden's R2, recession, Germany

Does the Dispersion of Unit Labor Cost Dynamics in the EMU Imply Long-run Divergence? Results from a Comparison with the United States of America and Germany

Using unit labor cost (ULC) data from Euro area countries as well as US States and German Laender we investigate inflation convergence using different approaches, namely panel unit root tests, cointegration tests and error-correction models. All in all we cannot reject convergence of ULC growth in EMU, however, country-specific deviations from the rest of the currency union are more pronounced in Europe and more persistent. This holds before and after the introduction of the common currency.Unit labor costs, inflation, EMU, convergence, panel unit root tests, convergence clubs

Do Leading Indicators Help to Predict Business Cycle Turning Points in Germany?

Using a binary reference series based on the dating procedure of Artis, Kontolemis and Osborn (1997) different procedures for predicting turning points of the German business cycles were tested. Specifically, a probit model as proposed by Estrella and Mishkin (1997) as well as Markov-switching models were taken into consideration. The overall results indicate that the interest rate spread, the longterm interest rate as well as some monetary indicators and some survey indicators can help predicting turning points of the business cycle.Business cycle, leading indicators, probit model, McFadden's R2, Markov switching models

Growth and Inflation Forecasts for Germany: An Assessment of Accuracy and Dispersion

Based on a panel of German professional forecasts for 1970 to 2002 we find that growth and inflation forecasts are unbiased and weakly, but not strongly efficient. Besides the effect of diverging forecasting dates, no other substantial differences in forecasting quality are found among forecasters. We argue that is not always advisable to listen to the majority of forecast-ers. The dispersion of forecasts correlates positively with the volatility of macroeconomic variables. This suggests that forecasters do not behave predominately strategic, but share no common belief on the adequate model of the economy.Forecast error evaluation; Consensus forecast; Disagreement; Uncertainty; Germany

Default Option, Risk-Aversion and Household Borrowing Behaviour

Assuming a risk-neutral bank and assuming household utility to be exponential, we show how under information symmetry the covariance of income and loan repayments may explain higher household borrowings than in the case without default option. Under ex post information asymmetry and positive control costs, the result is less clear-cut. We also make evident that in a situation in which a household without default option would neither borrow nor save, the existence of a default option makes household borrowing behaviour unpredictable.Consumption, exponential utility, certainty equivalent, households, default option, borrowing, risk, risk aversion, risk management

Forecast Errors and the Macroeconomy: A Non-Linear Relationship?

The paper analyses the reasons for departures from strong rationality of German business cycle forecasts based on annual observations from 1963 to 2004. We rely on forecasts from the joint forecast of the so-called "six leading" forecasting institutions in Germany. We test for a non-linear relation between forecast errors and macroeconomic fundamentals and find evidence for such a non-linearity for inflation forecasts. Evidence from probit models further suggests that some macroeconomic fundamentals - especially monetary factors - correlate to large positive or negative forecast growth and inflation forecast errors.Forecast error evaluation; Non-linearities; Business cycles

Does the Dispersion of Unit Labor Cost Dynamics in the EMU Imply Long-Run Divergence?: Results from a Comparison with the United States of America and Germany

Using unit labor cost (ULC) data from Euro area countries as well as US States and German Länder we investigate inflation convergence using different approaches, namely panel unit root tests, co-integration tests and error-correction models. All in all we cannot reject convergence of ULC growth in EMU, however, country-specific deviations from the rest of the currency union are more pronounced in Europe and more persistent. This holds before and after the introduction of the common currency.Unit labor costs, inflation, EMU, convergence, panel unit root tests, convergence clubs

Estimating and Forecasting Aggregate Productivity Growth Trends in the US and Germany

This paper addresses the issue of estimating and forecasting productivity growth trends in the US and Germany from the perspective of a business cycle researcher who wants to use the available information in time series of aggregate labor productivity to derive a model for short- and/or long-term forecasts of labour productivity. We will use stability tests and a deterministic model with structural breaks that is estimated using the methods mentioned in Hansen (2001). The methodological approach also draws on Gordon (2003) using a Kalman filter specification. We discuss the implications of unit-root assumptions for long-term forecasts and argue in favor of a near unit-root modelling. That implies a convergence of productivity growth rates in both countries within the next 15 years.

The New Keynesian Model and the Long-Run Vertical Phillips Curve: Does It Hold for Germany?

New-Keynesian macroeconomic models typically assume that any long-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment is ruled out. While this appears to be a reasonable characterization of the US economy, it is less clear that the natural rate hypothesis necessarily holds in a European country like Germany where hysteretic effects may invalidate it. Inspired by the framework developed by Farmer (2000) and Beyer and Farmer (2002), we investigate the long-run relationships between the interest rate, unemployment and inflation in West Germany from the early 1960s up to 2004 using a multivariate co-integration analysis technique. The results point to a structural break in the late 1970s. In the later time period we find for West German data a strong negative correlation between the trend components of inflation and unemployment. We show that this finding contradicts the natural rate hypothesis, introduce a version of the New Keynesian model which allows for some hysteresis and compare the effectiveness of monetary policy in these two models. In general, a policy rule with an aggressive response to a rise in unemployment performs better in a model with hysteretic characteristics than in a model without.Cointegration; Vector error correction model; Unemployment; Phillips curve; Hysteresis