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Forecasting inflation using disaggregates and machine learning

Gilberto Boaretto, Marcelo C. Medeiros

arXiv 22 Aug 2023 · Econometrics · 3 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:2308.11173 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of several forecasting methods for predicting inflation, focusing on aggregating disaggregated forecasts - also known in the literature as the bottom-up approach. Taking the Brazilian case as an application, we consider different disaggregation levels for inflation and employ a range of traditional time series techniques as well as linear and nonlinear machine learning (ML) models to deal with a larger number of predictors. For many forecast horizons, the aggregation of disaggregated forecasts performs just as well survey-based expectations and models that generate forecasts using the aggregate directly. Overall, ML methods outperform traditional time series models in predictive accuracy, with outstanding performance in forecasting disaggregates. Our results reinforce the benefits of using models in a data-rich environment for inflation forecasting, including aggregating disaggregated forecasts from ML techniques, mainly during volatile periods. Starting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the random forest model based on both aggregate and disaggregated inflation achieves remarkable predictive performance at intermediate and longer horizons.

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
1Medeiros, Vasconcelos, Veiga, and Zilberman (2021) Forecasting inflation in a data-rich environment: the benefits of machine learning methods1.00084100%
2Garcia, Medeiros, and Vasconcelos (2017) Real-time inflation forecasting with high-dimensional models: The case of Brazil1.00074100%
altug2016unmatched citation key altug20160.81142100%
4Bermingham and D’Agostino (2014) Understanding and forecasting aggregate and disaggregate price dynamics0.81142100%
5Faust and Wright (2013) Forecasting Inflation0.81142100%
6Ibarra (2012) Do disaggregated CPI data improve the accuracy of inflation forecasts?0.81142100%
7Bai and Ng (2008) Forecasting economic time series using targeted predictors0.73732100%
8Duarte and Rua (2007) Forecasting inflation through a bottom-up approach: How bottom is bottom?0.73732100%
9Bai and Ng (2002) Determining the number of factors in approximate factor models0.64422100%
10Fan, Masini, and Medeiros (2021) Bridging factor and sparse models self0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 48 scored citations. 1 of these could not be matched to a bibliography entry, so only the citation key is shown.

Cited by, within the corpus

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

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
11.4cm bred Maximally Forward-Looking Core Inflation0.40511