Dynamic factor models (DFMs), which assume the existence of a small number of unobserved underlying factors common to a large number of variables, are very popular among empirical macroeconomists. Factors can be extracted using either nonparametric principal components or parametric Kalman...

We extend the Markov-switching dynamic factor model to account for some of the specifi cities of the day-to-day monitoring of economic developments from macroeconomic indicators, such as ragged edges and mixed frequencies. We examine the theoretical benefi ts of this extension and corroborate...

Over the last decades, the estimation of the slack in the economy has become an essential piece of analysis for policymakers, both on the monetary policy and the fiscal policy front. Output gap estimation techniques have flourished accordingly, although there is no consensus on a best-performing...