Assessment Criteria for Output Gap Estimates

43 Pages Posted: 15 May 2003

Date Written: April 2001

Abstract

This paper assesses the statistical reliability of different measures of the output gap for the Euro-11 area and the US using output, inflation and unemployment systems. In order to assess the reliability of an output gap estimate two criteria are adopted. Firstly, the estimate should have forecasting power over inflation. Secondly, the ex post statistical revisions of the output gap should not differ significantly from previously computed measures. As an additional check on reliability, we find out whether the estimate of the output gap is positively correlated with standard measures of capacity utilization. We find that under our multivariate specification, unobservable components (UC) type models of the output gap show temporal consistency between sequential and final estimates and are consistent with known cyclical indicators. On the other hand, our UC models for the output gap have limited forecasting power for inflation, since they underperform an arbitrary autoregressive model.

Keywords: Output gap; Forecasting Inflation; Time Series models

JEL Classification: C32, E32, E37

Suggested Citation

Camba-Mendez, Gonzalo and Rodriguez-Palenzuela, Diego, Assessment Criteria for Output Gap Estimates (April 2001). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=356043 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.356043

Gonzalo Camba-Mendez (Contact Author)

European Central Bank (ECB) ( email )

Sonnemannstrasse 22
Frankfurt am Main, 60314
Germany
0049 69 13440 (Phone)
0044 69 1344 6000 (Fax)

Diego Rodriguez-Palenzuela

European Central Bank (ECB) ( email )

Sonnemannstrasse 22
Frankfurt am Main, 60314
Germany
(49) 69-1344-6480 (Phone)
(49) 69-1344-6575 (Fax) (Fax)

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