Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/84186 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
ifo Working Paper No. 167
Publisher: 
ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, Munich
Abstract: 
In the current literature uncertainty about the future course of the economy is identified as a possible driver of business cycle fluctuations. In fact, uncertainty surrounds the movements of all economic variables which gives rise to a monitoring problem. We identify the different dimensions of uncertainty in the macroeconomy. To this end, weconstruct a large dataset covering all forms of economic uncertainty and unravel the fundamental factors that account for the common dynamics therein. These common factors are interpreted as macroeconomic uncertainty. Our results show that the first factor captures business cycle uncertainty while the second factor is identified as oil and commodity price uncertainty. Finally, we demonstrate that a distinction between both types of macroeconomic uncertainty is essential since they have rather different implications for economic activity.
Subjects: 
Macroeconomic uncertainty
factor model
factor-augmented VAR
aggregate fluctuation
JEL: 
C32
C38
E32
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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