Conditional heteroskedasticity in qualitative response models of time series: a Gibbs sampling approach to the bank prime rate

Previous time series applications of qualitative response models have ignored features of the data, such as conditional heteroskedasticity, that are routinely addressed in time-series econometrics of financial data. This article addresses this issue by adding Markov-switching heteroskedasticity to a dynamic ordered probit model of discrete changes in the bank prime lending rate and estimation via the Gibbs sampler. The dynamic ordered probit model of Eichengreen, Watson and Grossman (1995) allows for serial autocorrelation in probit analysis of a time series, and the present article demonstrates the relative simplicity of estimating a dynamic ordered probit using the Gibbs sampler instead of the Eichengreen et al. maximum-likelihood procedure. In addition, the extension to regime-switching parameters and conditional heteroskedasticity is easy to implement under Gibbs sampling. The article compares tests of goodness of fit between dynamic ordered probit models of the prime rate that have constant variance and conditional heteroskedasticity.Prime rate ; Econometric models

Spring of disconnect across stock markets?

Stock market ; Rate of return

Why predict past FOMC actions?

Federal Open Market Committee

Risk premiums among corporate bonds

Corporate bonds

Are prime rate changes asymmetric?

Prime rate ; Interest rates ; Bank loans

Kalman filtering with truncated normal state variables for Bayesian estimation of macroeconomic models

A pair of simple modifications-in the forecast error and forecast error variance-to the Kalman filter recursions makes possible the filtering of models in which one or more state variables is truncated normal and latent. Such recursions are broadly applicable to macroeconometric models, such as vector autoregressions and estimated dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models, that have one or more probit-type equation.Macroeconomics - Econometric models

Can nominal GDP targeting rules stabilize the economy?

Gross domestic product ; Money supply

The monetary policy innovation paradox in VARs: a "discrete" explanation

Monetary policy shocks derived from VARs often suggest that monetary policymakers regularly react to an unexpected increase that they induced in the federal funds rate with additional increases. This puzzling pattern can be called the “policy innovation paradox” because there is no obvious explanation for such a pattern. This article shows that the policy innovation paradox is most likely an artifact of failing to account for the discreteness of changes that policymakers make to the target federal funds rate. Mis-specified VARs that fail to account for discrete target changes imply the policy innovation paradox, whereas a model that uses information from discrete policy changes does not.Monetary policy ; Federal funds rate ; Vector autoregression

Regime-dependent recession forecasts and the 2001 recession

Business recessions are notoriously hard to predict accurately, hence the quip that economists have predicted eight of the last five recessions. This article derives a six-month-ahead recession signal that reduces the number of false signals outside of recession, without impairing the ability to signal the recessions that occur. In terms of predicting the 1990-91 and 2001 recessions out of sample, the new recession signal, like other signals, largely misses the 1990-91 recession with its six-month-ahead forecasts. In contrast, a recession onset in April or May 2001 was predicted six months ahead of the 2001 recession, which is close to the actual turning point of March 2001.Recessions ; Business cycles ; Forecasting

The response of market interest rates to discount rate changes

Discount