Business Cycles for G7 and European Countries
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS, Vol. 70, No. 2, April 1997
Posted: 24 Mar 1997
Abstract
This article proposes classical business cycle turning points for the G7 and a number of European countries based on industrial production. This enables us to examine the international nature of cyclical movements free from arbitrary assumptions about the trend. In particular, we show that cyclical asymmetry is common, with slopes during declines being generally larger in magnitude than during expansions. A binary measure of association for expansion and contraction regimes indicates a core group of European countries related to each other and apparently linked to the U.S. and Japan through Germany.
JEL Classification: E32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation