Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/60565 
Year of Publication: 
2006
Series/Report no.: 
Staff Report No. 253
Publisher: 
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York, NY
Abstract: 
This paper examines matched point and density forecasts of inflation from the Survey of Professional Forecasters to analyze the relationship between expected inflation, disagreement, and uncertainty. We extend previous studies through our data construction and estimation methodology. Specifically, we derive measures of disagreement and uncertainty by using a decomposition proposed in earlier research by Wallis and by applying the concept of entropy from information theory. We also undertake the empirical analysis within a seemingly unrelated regression framework. Our results offer mixed support for the propositions that disagreement is a useful proxy for uncertainty and that increases in expected inflation are accompanied by heightened inflation uncertainty. However, we document a robust, quantitatively and statistically significant positive association between disagreement and expected inflation.
Subjects: 
Survey of Professional Forecasters, density forecasts, point forecasts, inflation predictions, seemingly related regression
JEL: 
C12
C22
E37
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
261.51 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.