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Nowcasting East German GDP growth: a MIDAS approach

Author

Listed:
  • João C. Claudio

    (Leipzig University
    Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH))

  • Katja Heinisch

    (Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH))

  • Oliver Holtemöller

    (Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH)
    Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)

Abstract

Economic forecasts are an important element of rational economic policy both on the federal and on the local or regional level. Solid budgetary plans for government expenditures and revenues rely on efficient macroeconomic projections. However, official data on quarterly regional GDP in Germany are not available, and hence, regional GDP forecasts do not play an important role in public budget planning. We provide a new quarterly time series for East German GDP and develop a forecasting approach for East German GDP that takes data availability in real time and regional economic indicators into account. Overall, we find that mixed-data sampling model forecasts for East German GDP in combination with model averaging outperform regional forecast models that only rely on aggregate national information.

Suggested Citation

  • João C. Claudio & Katja Heinisch & Oliver Holtemöller, 2020. "Nowcasting East German GDP growth: a MIDAS approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 29-54, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:58:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s00181-019-01810-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-019-01810-5
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    2. Robert Lehmann & Felix Leiss & Simon Litsche & Stefan Sauer & Michael Weber & Annette Weichselberger & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2019. "Mit den ifo-Umfragen regionale Konjunktur verstehen," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 72(09), pages 45-49, May.
    3. Robert Lehmann, 2023. "The Forecasting Power of the ifo Business Survey," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 19(1), pages 43-94, March.
    4. Robert Lehmann, 2024. "A real-time regional accounts database for Germany with applications to GDP revisions and nowcasting," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 817-838, August.
    5. Robert Lehmann, 2024. "Prognosen des Wirtschaftswachstums der deutschen Bundesländer unter Echtzeitbedingungen," ifo Dresden berichtet, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 31(04), pages 03-07, August.
    6. Holtemöller, Oliver & Kozyrev, Boris, 2024. "Forecasting economic activity using a neural network in uncertain times: Monte Carlo evidence and application to the German GDP," IWH Discussion Papers 6/2024, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    7. Holtemöller, Oliver & Kozyrev, Boris, 2023. "Forecasting Economic Activity with a Neural Network in Uncertain Times: Monte Carlo Evidence and Application to German GDP," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277688, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Barbara Batóg & Jacek Batóg, 2021. "Regional Government Revenue Forecasting: Risk Factors of Investment Financing," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-15, November.
    9. Luca Barbaglia & Lorenzo Frattarolo & Niko Hauzenberger & Dominik Hirschbuehl & Florian Huber & Luca Onorante & Michael Pfarrhofer & Luca Tiozzo Pezzoli, 2024. "Nowcasting economic activity in European regions using a mixed-frequency dynamic factor model," Papers 2401.10054, arXiv.org.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business surveys; East Germany; MIDAS model; Nowcasting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C52 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection
    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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