Testing for Forecast Consensus
预测共识的检验
A panel of forecasts may be defined to be in consensus when individual forecasters place identical weights on a common latent variable. We suggest this definition and formulate a dynamic latent-variable model to test for consensus. This method also tests whether it is valid to use the mean forecast as the consensus forecast. In applications to surveys of U.S. macroeconomic forecasters, there is greater consensus in forecasts for output growth than for inflation or…