Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
January 1998
Misspecification versus Bubbles in Hyperinflation Data: Monte Carlo and Interwar European Evidence
Mark A. Hooker
Abstract:
This paper analyzes tests of the Cagan hyperinflation-money demand model that have several advantages relative to those in the literature. They do not confound specification error with rational bubbles, are implementable with a linear procedure, and are frequently able to detect periodically collapsing bubbles that have challenged existing tests. After a Monte Carlo analysis, the tests are applied to data from hyperinflations in Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Strong evidence of model misspecification is found for Austria, while the model with a rational, explosive component well characterizes the Polish data. Inferences for Germany and Hungary are mixed.
Keywords: Hyperinflation, bubble, specification error
PDF: Full Paper
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