William Zox, an analyst for Opal Mountain Capital Management, uses two different models to forecast changes in the inflation rate in the United Kingdom. Both models were constructed using U.K. inflation data from 1988-2002. In order to compare the forecasting accuracy of the models, Zox collected actual U.K. inflation data from 2004-2005, and compared the actual data to what each model predicted. The first model is an AR(1) model that was found to have an average squared error of 10.429 over the 12 month period. The second model is an AR(2) model that was found to have an average squared error of 11.642 over the 12 month period. Zox then computed the root mean squared error for each model to use as a basis of comparison. Based on the results of his analysis, which model should Zox conclude is the most accurate?
A) |
Model 1 because it has an RMSE of 3.23. | |
B) |
Model 2 because it has an RMSE of 3.41. | |
C) |
Model 1 because it has an RMSE of 5.21. | |
The root mean squared error (RMSE) criterion is used to compare the accuracy of autoregressive models in forecasting out-of-sample values. To determine which model will more accurately forecast future values, we calculate the square root of the mean squared error. The model with the smallest RMSE is the preferred model. The RMSE for Model 1 is √10.429 = 3.23, while the RMSE for Model 2 is √11.642 = 3.41. Since Model 1 has the lowest RMSE, that is the one Zox should conclude is the most accurate. |