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dc.titleNowcasting to Predict Economic Activity in Real Time: The Cases of Belize and El Salvador
dc.contributor.authorBarrios, Juan José
dc.contributor.authorEscobar, Julia
dc.contributor.authorLeslie, Janelle
dc.contributor.authorMartin, Lucia
dc.contributor.authorPeña, Werner
dc.contributor.orgunitCountry Department Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic
dc.coverageBelize
dc.coverageEl Salvador
dc.coverageCentral America
dc.date.available2021-10-08T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2021-10-08T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractThis paper presents machine learning models fitted to nowcast or predict quarterly GDP activity in real time for Belize and El Salvador. The initiative is part of the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) ongoing effort to develop timely economic monitoring tools following the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nowcasting techniques offer an effective tool to fill the information gap between the end of a quarter and the official publication of macroeconomic indicators that are generally lagged by 60 to 90 days, by exploiting the availability of other indicators that are published more frequently. The results show that machine learning techniques can produce accurate quarterly GDP forecasts for two structurally different economies within economic contexts marked by extreme degrees of volatility and uncertainty at both the national and international levels. Because the calibration of nowcasting exercises is a dynamic process that is refined over time, at the IDB, we trust that this document will help support the ongoing work of the governments and statistical agencies of Belize and El Salvador in securing better economic forecasts to inform agile policy decisions.
dc.format.extent60
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003699
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Nowcasting-to-Predict-Economic-Activity-in-Real-Time-The-Cases-of-Belize-and-El-Salvador.pdf
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/spanish/document/Nowcasting-para-predecir-actividad-economica-en-tiempo-real-los-casos-de-Belice-y-El-Salvador.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectGross Domestic Product
dc.subjectGDP Growth
dc.subjectEconomic Indicator
dc.subjectPredictive Analytics
dc.subjectMacroeconomy
dc.subjectStatistical Capacity
dc.subject.jelcodeE01 - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth • Environmental Accounts
dc.subject.jelcodeE27 - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
dc.subject.jelcodeC53 - Forecasting and Prediction Methods • Simulation Methods
dc.subject.keywordsBelize;El Salvador;Nowcasting;Forecast of Economic Activity;Quarterly GDP;national statistics
dc.typeMonographs
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-MG-00970
idb.operationBL-P1103
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