Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Format of Original
20 p.
Publication Date
6-8-2010
Publisher
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)
Source Publication
Economic Development and Public Finance: Working Paper Series
Abstract
Measurement and prediction of aggregate economic fluctuations at the region, state, and metropolitan area level is a major challenge. As data quality and analytical techniques have improved, the analysis of coincident economic cycle indicators (CEI) has progressed from national to regional to state levels. This paper continues the trend of geographic disaggregation by constructing and analyzing CEI at the MSA level. The theoretical advantage of MSA level indexes is that they reflect labor market areas. Given lack of quarterly economic time series at the MSA level, we construct a new variable, the EPI (export price index). The EPI is an index number constructed to measure changes in the prices of goods produced by major industries located in metropolitan areas. Using non-agricultural employment and the EPI as MSA-specific variables, we are able to estimate following a Stock/Watson type single factor models. We find that, for larger states, with multiple MSAs, there is substantial variation in the amplitude and timing of cycles across MSAs. Further tests group MSAs within states by applying cluster analysis to the state series for the MSAs within a state. The groupings are interesting for two reasons. First, they confirm the differences observed within states. Secondly, and perhaps most important, the groupings of cyclically similar MSAs are not always based on geographic proximity as might be expected. It appears that industrial similarity of the MSA economies is also important for cyclical performance.
Recommended Citation
Hollar, Michael; Pennington-Cross, Anthony; and Yezer, Anthony, "The Role of Geographic Proximity And Industrial Structure In Metropolitan Area Business Cycles" (2010). Finance Faculty Research and Publications. 85.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/fin_fac/85
Comments
Published version. Economic Development and Public Finance: Working Paper Series (June 8, 2010). Permalink. © 2010 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Used with permission.