research
Are more data always better for factor analysis? Results for the euro area, the six largest euro area countries and the UK
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
Factor based forecasting has been at the forefront of developments in the macroeconometric forecasting literature in the recent past. Despite the flurry of activity in the area, a number of specification issues such as the choice of the number of factors in the forecasting regression, the benefits of combining factor-based forecasts and the choice of the dataset from which to extract the factors remain partly unaddressed. This paper provides a comprehensive empirical investigation of these issues using data for the euro area, the six largest euro area countries, and the UK. JEL Classification: C100, C150, C530Factors, Forecast Combinations, Large Datasets