Working Paper

Estimating Dynamic Equilibrium Models Using Mixed Frequency Macro and Financial Data

Bent Jesper Christensen, Olaf Posch, Michel van der Wel
CESifo, Munich, 2014

CESifo Working Paper No. 5030

We provide a framework for inference in dynamic equilibrium models including financial market data at daily frequency, along with macro series at standard lower frequency. Our formulation of the macro-finance model in continuous-time conveniently accounts for the difference in observation frequency. We suggest the use of martingale estimating functions (MEF) to infer the structural parameters of the model directly through a nonlinear optimization scheme. This method is compared to regression-based methods and the general method of moments (GMM). We illustrate our approaches by estimating the AK-Vasicek model with mean-reverting interest rates. We provide Monte Carlo evidence on the small sample behavior of the estimators and report empirical estimates using 30 years of U.S. macro and financial data.

CESifo Category
Empirical and Theoretical Methods
Fiscal Policy, Macroeconomics and Growth
Keywords: structural estimation, AK-Vasicek model, Martingale estimating function
JEL Classification: C130, E320, O400