The Bank of England has constructed a 'suite of statistical forecasting models' (the 'Suite') providing judgement-free statistical forecasts of inflation and output growth as inputs into the forecasting process, and to offer measures of relevant news in the data. The Suite focuses on combining...

The estimation of structural dynamic factor models (DFMs) for large sets of variables is attracting considerable attention. In this paper we briefly review the underlying theory and then compare the impulse response functions resulting from two alternative estimation methods for the DFM....

The estimation of dynamic factor models for large sets of variables has attracted considerable attention recently, due to the increased availability of large datasets. In this paper we propose a new parametric methodology for estimating factors from large datasets based on state space models and...

The paper addresses the issue of forecasting a large set of variables using multivariate models. In particular, we propose three alternative reduced rank forecasting models and compare their predictive performance for US time series with the most promising existing alternatives, namely, factor...

In this paper we use principal components analysis to obtain vulnerability indicators able to predict financial turmoil. Probit modelling through principal components and also stochastic simulation of a Dynamic Factor model are used to produce the corresponding probability forecasts regarding...

The empirical literature that tests for purchasing power parity (PPP) by focusing on the stationarity of real exchange rates has so far provided, at best, mixed results. The behaviour of the yen real exchange rate has most stubbornly challenged the PPP hypothesis and deepened this puzzle. This...

This paper is motivated by recent evidence that many univariate economic and financial time series have both nonlinear and long memory characteristics. Hence, this paper considers a general nonlinear, smooth transition regime autoregression which is embedded within a strongly dependent, long...

This article proposes pure significance tests for the absence of nonlinearity in cointegrating relationships. No assumption of the functional form of the nonlinearity is made. It is envisaged that the application of such tests could form the first step towards specifying a nonlinear...