Large Mixed-Frequency Vars with a Parsimonious Time-Varying Parameter Structure

Abstract

In order to simultaneously consider mixed-frequency time series, their joint dynamics, and possible structural change, we introduce a time-varying parameter mixed-frequency vector autoregression (VAR). Time variation enters in a parsimonious way: only the intercepts and a common factor in the error variances can vary. Computational complexity therefore remains in a range that still allows us to estimate moderately large VARs in a reasonable amount of time. This makes our model an appealing addition to any suite of forecasting models. For eleven U.S. variables, we show the competitiveness compared to a commonly used constant-coefficient mixed-frequency VAR and other related model classes. Our model also accurately captures the drop in the gross domestic product during the COVID-19 pandemic.