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Incorporating Short Data into Large Mixed-Frequency VARs for Regional Nowcasting

Author

Listed:
  • Gary Koop

    (Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde)

  • Stuart McIntyre

    (Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde)

  • James Mitchell

    (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence)

  • Aubrey Poon

    (Orebro University; Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence)

  • Ping Wu

    (Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde)

Abstract

Interest in regional economic issues coupled with advances in administrative data is driving the creation of new regional economic data. Many of these data series could be useful for nowcasting regional economic activity, but they suffer from a short (albeit constantly expanding) time series which makes incorporating them into nowcasting models problematic. Regional nowcasting is already challenging because the release delay on regional data tends to be greater than that at the national level, and “short†data imply a “ragged edge†at both the beginning and the end of regional data sets, which adds a further complication. In this paper, via an application to the UK, we develop methods to include a wide range of short data into a regional mixed-frequency VAR model. These short data include hitherto unexploited regional VAT turnover data. We address the problem of the ragged edge at both the beginning and end of our sample by estimating regional factors using different missing data algorithms that we then incorporate into our mixed-frequency VAR model. We find that nowcasts of regional output growth are generally improved when we condition them on the factors, but only when the regional nowcasts are produced before the national (UK-wide) output growth data are published.

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Koop & Stuart McIntyre & James Mitchell & Aubrey Poon & Ping Wu, 2023. "Incorporating Short Data into Large Mixed-Frequency VARs for Regional Nowcasting," Working Papers 2311, University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:str:wpaper:2311
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gefang, Deborah & Koop, Gary & Poon, Aubrey, 2020. "Computationally efficient inference in large Bayesian mixed frequency VARs," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Joshua C. C. Chan, 2022. "Asymmetric conjugate priors for large Bayesian VARs," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 13(3), pages 1145-1169, July.
    3. Paul Labonne & Martin Weale, 2020. "Temporal disaggregation of overlapping noisy quarterly data: estimation of monthly output from UK value‐added tax data," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 183(3), pages 1211-1230, June.
    4. Marta Bańbura & Michele Modugno, 2014. "Maximum Likelihood Estimation Of Factor Models On Datasets With Arbitrary Pattern Of Missing Data," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 133-160, January.
    5. Stock, J.H. & Watson, M.W., 2016. "Dynamic Factor Models, Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressions, and Structural Vector Autoregressions in Macroeconomics," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 415-525, Elsevier.
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    Cited by:

    1. Josh Martin & Rebecca Riley, 2023. "Productivity measurement - Reassessing the production function from micro to macro," Working Papers 033, The Productivity Institute.
    2. 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

    Regional data; Mixed-frequency data; Missing data; Nowcasting; Factors; Bayesian methods; Real-time data; Vector autoregressions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models
    • 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

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