Forecasting the COVID-19 recession and recovery: Lessons from the financial crisis

Claudia Foroni, Massimiliano Marcellino and Dalibor Stevanovic
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Claudia Foroni: European Central Bank

No 20-14, Working Papers from Chair in macroeconomics and forecasting, University of Quebec in Montreal's School of Management

Abstract: We consider simple methods to improve the growth nowcasts and forecasts obtained by mixed frequency MIDAS and UMIDAS models with a variety of indicators during the Covid-19 crisis and recovery period, such as combining forecasts across various specifications for the same model and/or across different models, extending the model specification by adding MA terms, enhancing the estimation method by taking a similarity approach, and adjusting the forecasts to put them back on track by a specific form of intercept correction. Among all these methods, adjusting the original nowcasts and forecasts by an amount similar to the nowcast and forecast errors made during the financial crisis and following recovery seems to produce the best results for the US, notwithstanding the different source and characteristics of the financial crisis. In particular, the adjusted growth nowcasts for 2020Q1 get closer to the actual value, and the adjusted forecasts based on alternative indicators become much more similar, all unfortunately indicating a much slower recovery than without adjustment and very persistent negative effects on trend growth. Similar findings emerge also for forecasts by institutions, for survey forecasts, and for the other G7 countries.

Keywords: Covid-19; Forecasting; GDP; Mixed-frequency. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C53 E37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2020-06, Revised 2020-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published, International Journal of Forecasting

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Related works:
Journal Article: Forecasting the Covid-19 recession and recovery: Lessons from the financial crisis (2022)
Working Paper: Forecasting the Covid-19 Recession and Recovery: Lessons from the Financial Crisis (2020)
Working Paper: Forecasting the Covid-19 recession and recovery: Lessons from the financial crisis (2020)
Working Paper: Forecasting the Covid-19 recession and recovery: lessons from the financial crisis (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bbh:wpaper:20-14

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