The prominent role of monetary policy in the U.S. interwardepression has been conventional wisdom since Friedman andSchwartz [1963]. This paper presents evidence on both thesurprise and the systematic components of monetary policybetween 1929 and 1933. Doubts surrounding GDP estimates forthe...

This paper presents insights on U.S. business cycle volatility since 1867 derived from diffusionindices. We employ a Bayesian dynamic factor model to obtain aggregate and sectoral economicactivity indices. We find a remarkable increase in volatility across World War I, which isreversed after...