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Sparse structures with LASSO through Principal Components: forecasting GDP components in the short-run

Saulius Jokubaitis, Dmitrij Celov, Remigijus Leipus

arXiv 19 Jun 2019 · Econometrics · publishedInternational Journal of Forecasting (2020) · 15 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:1906.07992 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the use of sparse methods to forecast the real, in the chain-linked volume sense, expenditure components of the US and EU GDP in the short-run sooner than the national institutions of statistics officially release the data. We estimate current quarter nowcasts along with 1- and 2-quarter forecasts by bridging quarterly data with available monthly information announced with a much smaller delay. We solve the high-dimensionality problem of the monthly dataset by assuming sparse structures of leading indicators, capable of adequately explaining the dynamics of analyzed data. For variable selection and estimation of the forecasts, we use the sparse methods - LASSO together with its recent modifications. We propose an adjustment that combines LASSO cases with principal components analysis that deemed to improve the forecasting performance. We evaluate forecasting performance conducting pseudo-real-time experiments for gross fixed capital formation, private consumption, imports and exports over the sample of 2005-2019, compared with benchmark ARMA and factor models. The main results suggest that sparse methods can outperform the benchmarks and to identify reasonable subsets of explanatory variables. The proposed LASSO-PC modification show further improvement in forecast accuracy.

Citation extraction

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Bai, J. and S. Ng (2008) Forecasting economic time series using targeted predictors1.00073100%
2Bulligan, G., M. Marcellino, and F. Venditti (2015) Forecasting economic activity with targeted predictors1.00053100%
3Zou, H (2006) The Adaptive Lasso and its Oracle Properties0.73732100%
4Bańbura, M., D. Giannone, M. Modugno, and L. Reichlin (2013) Now-casting and the real-time data flow0.64422100%
5Tibshirani, R (1996) Regression shrinkage and selection via the Lasso0.64422100%
6Zou, H., T. Haste, and R. Tibshirani (2006) Sparse Principal Component Analysis0.51121100%
7Liu, Z. Z (2014) The Doubly Adaptive LASSO methods for time series analysis0.51121100%
8Meinshausen, N (2007) Relaxed Lasso0.51121100%
9Medeiros, M. C. and E. F. Mendes (2015) $_1$-regularization of high-dimensional time-series models with flexible innovations0.51121100%
10Belloni, A., V. Chernozhukov, and L. Wang (2011) Square-root Lasso: pivotal recovery of sparse signals via conic programming0.51121100%

Showing the top 10 of 41 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1Nowcasting using regression on signatures0.40511