When constructing unconditional point forecasts, both direct- and iterated-multistep (DMS and IMS) approaches are common. However, in the context of producing conditional forecasts, IMS approaches based on vector autoregressions (VAR) are far more common than simpler DMS models. This is despite...

This paper assesses the performance of a number of long-term interest rate forecast approaches, namely time series models, structural economic models, expert forecasts and combinations thereof. The predictive performance of these approaches is compared using out of sample forecast errors, where...

This paper introduces the model confidence set (MCS) and applies it to the selection of models. An MCS is a set of models that is constructed so that it will contain the best model with a given level of confidence. The MCS is in this sense analogous to a confidence interval for a parameter. The...

We introduce a statistical test for comparing the predictive accuracy of competing copula specifications in multivariate density forecasts, based on the Kullback-Leibler Information Criterion (KLIC). The test is valid under general conditions: in particular it allows for parameter estimation...

Models used for policy analysis should generate reliable unconditional forecasts as well as policy simulations (conditional forecasts) that are based on a structural model of the economy. Vector autoregression (VAR) models have been criticized for having inaccurate forecasts as well as being...

In this essay we postulate a number of theoretical hypotheses allowing one to resolve in some degree the following two prediction paradoxes: (1) why simple linear models often have an advantage in predictive power over more complex nonlinear models that lead to a better in-sample fit; (2) why...

Forecast combinations have frequently been found in empirical studies to produce better forecasts on average than methods based on the ex ante best individual forecasting model. Moreover, simple combinations that ignore correlations between forecast errors often dominate more refined combination...

During the past several decades, the importance of assessing the risk of GDP growth downturns has increased tremendously. The financial crisis of 2008–2009 and the global lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the vulnerability of the modern economy. As a result, a new framework...

We introduce a Bayesian approach to predictive density calibration and combination that accounts for parameter uncertainty and model set incompleteness through the use of random calibration functionals and random combination weights. Building on the work of Ranjan and Gneiting (2010) and...