The U.S. Business Cycle, 1867-1995: A Dynamic Factor Approach

Albrecht Ritschl, Samad Sarferaz () and Martin Uebele ()

No 7069, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: This paper reexamines U.S. business cycle volatility since 1867. We employ dynamic factor analysis as an alternative to reconstructed national accounts. We find a remarkable volatility increase across World War I, which is reversed after World War II. While we can generate evidence of postwar moderation relative to pre-1914, this evidence is not robust to structural change, implemented by time-varying factor loadings. However, we find moderation in the nominal series. Moreover, we reproduce the standard moderation since the 1980s. Our estimates confirm the NIPA data also for the 1930s but support alternative estimates of Kuznets (1952) for World War II.

Keywords: dynamic factor analysis; U.S. business cycle; volatility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C43 E32 N11 N12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-his and nep-mac
Date: 2008-12
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