In this paper, we propose a new approach to constructing confidence sets for the timing of structural breaks. This approach involves using Markov-chain Monte Carlo methods to simulate marginal “fiducial” distributions of break dates from the likelihood function. We compare our proposed...

In this paper, we propose a new approach to constructing confidence sets for the timing of structural breaks. This approach involves using Markov-chain Monte Carlo methods to simulate marginal “fiducial” distributions of break dates from the likelihood function. We compare our proposed...

A large literature studies the information contained in national-level economic indicators, such as nancial and aggregate economic activity variables, for forecasting U.S. business cycle phases (expansions and recessions.) In this paper, we investigate whether there is additional information...

This paper estimates city-level employment cycles for 58 large U.S. cities and documents the substantial cross-city variation in the timing, lengths, and frequencies of their employment contractions. It also shows how the spread of city-level contractions associated with U.S. recessions has...