The Korean Journal of Economic Studies
Development of Weekly Regional Economic Indicator (WREI) and Regional Economic Snapshot
Won Suk Chung (Bank of Korea), Eunjeong Jo (Bank of Korea) and Sol Bin Lee (Bank of Korea)Year 2024Vol. 72No. 3
Abstract
This study developed a Weekly Regional Economic Indicator (WREI) using a Dynamic Factor Model (DFM) with mixed frequency to accurately assess regional economic conditions. WREI allows for regional comparisons due to its consistent composition and its weekly frequency, enhancing timeliness. WREI categorizes its constituent indicators into five categories (real activity, expectation, financials, households, labor market), enabling storytelling of key drivers of regional economic conditions through factor decomposition. Additionally, to provide a comprehensive overview of regional economic conditions, a Regional Economic Snapshot was developed, dividing the business cycle into 10 levels and visualizing it through heatmaps.