Forecasting the German Cyclical Turning Points: Dynamic Bi-Factor Model with Markov Switching

Summary This paper proposes a dynamic bi-factor model with Markov switching which detects and predicts turning points of the German business cycle. It estimates simultaneously the composite leading indicator (CLI) and composite coincident indicator (CCI) together with corresponding probabilities of a recession. According to the bi-factor model, CLI leads CCI by about 3 months at both peaks and troughs. The model-derived recession probabilities of CCI and CLI capture the turning points of the ECRI’s and OECD’s reference cycles much better than the dynamic single-factor model with Markov switching.