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Journal of Political Economy Vol. 96 No. 5 1988

How Big Is the Random Walk in GNP?

John H. Cochrane

Abstract

This paper presents a measure of the persistence of fluctuations in gross national product (GNP) based on the variance of its long differences. That measure finds little long-term persistence in GNP. Previous research on this question found a great deal of persistence in GNP, suggesting models such as a random walk. A reconciliation of this paper's results with previous research shows that conventional criteria for time-series model building can produce misleading estimates of persistence.

DOI
10.1086/261569
Volume
96
Issue
5
Pages
893-920
Language
en
Sources
crossref openalex

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