Tactical sales forecasting using a very large set of macroeconomic indicators

Tactical forecasting in supply chain management supports planning for inventory, scheduling production, and raw material purchase, amongst other functions. It typically refers to forecasts up to 12 months ahead. Traditional forecasting models take into account univariate information extrapolating from the past, but cannot anticipate macroeconomic events, such as steep increases or declines in national economic activity. In practice this is countered by using managerial expert judgement, which is well known to suffer from various biases, is expensive and not scalable. This paper evaluates multiple approaches to improve tactical sales forecasting using macro-economic leading indicators. The proposed statistical forecast selects automatically both the type of leading indicators, as well as the order of the lead for each of the selected indicators. However as the future values of the leading indicators are unknown an additional uncertainty is introduced. This uncertainty is controlled in our methodology by restricting inputs to an unconditional forecasting setup. We compare this with the conditional setup, where future indicator values are assumed to be known and assess the theoretical loss of forecast accuracy. We also evaluate purely statistical model building against judgement aided models, where potential leading indicators are pre-filtered by experts, quantifying the accuracy-cost trade-off. The proposed framework improves on forecasting accuracy over established time series benchmarks, while providing useful insights about the key leading indicators. We evaluate the proposed approach on a real case study and find 18.8% accuracy gains over the current forecasting process.     

A hybrid spares demand forecasting method dedicated to mining industry

The paper addresses the problem of lumpy demand forecasting which is typical for spare parts. Several prediction methods are presented in the paper - traditional techniques based on time series and advanced methods which use artificial neural networks. The paper presents a new hybrid spares demand forecasting method dedicated to mining companies. The method combines information criteria, regression modeling and artificial neural networks. The paper also discusses simulation research related to efficiency assessment of the chosen variable selection methods and its application in the newly developed forecasting method. The assessment of this method is conducted by a comparison with traditional methods and is based on selected forecast errors.     

基于模糊聚类分析的小波神经网络模型在径流预测中的应用

提出了一种在对预报因子集进行模糊聚类分析基础上构建径流预测模型的新方法:先通过模糊C-均值聚类将历史径流数据进行分类,然后利用小波神经网络分别建立预报因子集类别变量特征值与观测值之间的局部预测模型,并设计了特征值分类识别器,自动搜寻相适应的局部网络模型进行预测.通过西南某水库2011年日平均入库来流的计算实例对简单小波神经网络预测模型和所建的基于FCM与小波神经网络的预测模型进行了比较,结果较为满意.     

时间序列分解预测法及周期因素的探讨

本文运用时间序列分解预测法，分析门诊人次的变动规律，预测了季度门诊人次。本法与移动平均比率预测法相比，预测精度提高３１％。本文还探讨了时间序列分解预测的周期因素等有关问题。     

ARMA模型在哈尔滨气温预测中的应用

将时间序列分析引入到气温时间序列预测的研究中,深入分析气温样本数据,并对其建立ARMA模型.采用最佳准则函数法确定模型的阶数,并利用自相关函数对模型的残差进行了检验.通过条件期望预测和适时修正预测方法求得预测值,与真实值的比较得到适时修正预测精确度比条件期望预测的精确度高.     

Neuro-fuzzy approach for short-term electricity price forecasting developed MATLAB-based software

Bid and offer competition is a main transaction approach in deregulated electricity markets. Locational marginal prices (LMP) resulting from bidding competition determine electricity prices at a node or in an area. The LMP exhibits important information for market participants to develop their bidding strategies. Moreover, LMP is also a vital indicator for a Security Coordinator to perform market redispatch for congestion management. This paper presents a method using modular feed forward neural networks (FFNN) and fuzzy inference system (FIS) for forecasting LMPs. FFNN is used to forecast the electricity prices in a short time horizon and FIS to forecast the prices of special days. FFNN system includes an autocorrelation method for selecting parameters and methods for data preprocessing and preparing historical data to train the artificial neural network (ANN). In this paper, the historical LMPs of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland (PJM) market are used to test the proposed method. It is found that the proposed neuro-fuzzy method is capable of forecasting LMP values efficiently. In addition, MATLAB-based software is designed to test and use the proposed model in different markets and environments. This is an efficient tool to study and model power markets for price forecasting. It is included with a database management system, data classifier, input variable selection, FFNN and FIS configuration and report generator in custom formats.     

Forecast combinations for intermittent demand

Intermittent demand is characterised by infrequent demand arrivals, where many periods have zero demand, coupled with varied demand sizes. The dual source of variation renders forecasting for intermittent demand a very challenging task. Many researchers have focused on the development of specialised methods for intermittent demand. However, apart from a case study on hierarchical forecasting, the effects of combining, which is a standard practice for regular demand, have not been investigated. This paper empirically explores the efficiency of forecast combinations in the intermittent demand context. We examine both method and temporal combinations of forecasts. The first are based on combinations of different methods on the same time series, while the latter use combinations of forecasts produced on different views of the time series, based on temporal aggregation. Temporal combinations of single or multiple methods are investigated, leading to a new time-series classification, which leads to model selection and combination. Results suggest that appropriate combinations lead to improved forecasting performance over single methods, as well as simplifying the forecasting process by limiting the need for manual selection of methods or hyper-parameters of good performing benchmarks. This has direct implications for intermittent demand forecasting in practice.     

基于ARIMA的基金组合绩效成长性的预测

对投资机构而言,准确预测其投资组合的成长性能够为其未来的组合管理提供有效参考.ARIMA时间序列模型能够针对具有时间序列属性的数据进行预测.选取三只债券型基金组成投资组合A并计算其组合指数,以中信标普全债指数为参考,通过ARIMA时间序列模型预测投资组合A的组合指数与中信标普全债指数的差额来预测投资组合A的成长性.     

混合区间多尺度分解的区间时间序列组合预测

鉴于传统预测方法一直基于“点”来衡量时间序列数据,然而现实生活中在给定的时间段内许多变量是有区间限制的,点值预测会损失波动性信息。因此,本文提出了一种基于混合区间多尺度分解的组合预测方法。首先,建立区间离散小波分解方法(IDWT)、区间经验模态分解方法(IEMD)和区间奇异普分析方法(ISSA)。其次,用本文构建的IDWT、IEMD和ISSA对区间时间序列进行多尺度分解,从而得到区间趋势序列和残差序列。然后,用霍尔特指数平滑方法(Holt's)、支持向量回归(SVR)和BP神经网络对区间趋势序列和残差序列进行组合预测得到三种分解方法下的区间时间序列预测值。最后,用BP神经网络对各预测结果进行集成得到区间时间序列最终预测值。同时,为证明模型的有效性进行了AQI空气质量的实证预测分析,结果表明,本文所提出基于混合区间多尺度分解的组合预测方法具有较高的预测精度和良好的适用性。     

Forecasting business cycle with chaotic time series based on neural network with weighted fuzzy membership functions

This study presents a forecasting model of cyclical fluctuations of the economy based on the time delay coordinate embedding method. The model uses a neuro-fuzzy network called neural network with weighted fuzzy membership functions (NEWFM). The preprocessed time series of the leading composite index using the time delay coordinate embedding method are used as input data to the NEWFM to forecast the business cycle. A comparative study is conducted using other methods based on wavelet transform and Principal Component Analysis for the performance comparison. The forecasting results are tested using a linear regression analysis to compare the approximation of the input data against the target class, gross domestic product (GDP). The chaos based model captures nonlinear dynamics and interactions within the system, which other two models ignore. The test results demonstrated that chaos based method significantly improved the prediction capability, thereby demonstrating superior performance to the other methods.     

组合模型在我国能源需求预测中的应用

文章首先比较了不同的能源需求预测方法的特点,并选择确定性加随机性时间序列组合模型对我国能源需求进行预测,然后详细介绍了建模的过程,并对模型预测精度和参数稳定性作了评价,结果表明本文采用的组合模型是一种比较有效的预测方法,最后用该模型对我国2004~2020能源需求进行了预测。     

Synthesis or selection of forecasting models

This report is relevant to the practical forecasting situation in which a decision-maker is faced with several feasible predictors for his variable of interest. If he has a substantial amount of data available on the performance of each of his predictors, then it is well known that a composite forecast can be suitably derived as an optimal forecasting procedure. Alternatively, if only a small amount of evidence is available on the predictors' performance, then there appear to be controversial recommendations upon whether it is still optimal to pursue a policy of synthesis leading to a composite predictor or whether it is better to attempt a selection of the singularly best forecasting model. This report discusses some of the associated issues and provides some experimental evidence on the performance of these two policies.     

基于时间序列法的国税月度收入预测模型研究

研究了基于时间序列方法的国税月度收入预测. 通过采用Box-Jenkins的ARIMA模型, 结合国税月度收入数据, 分析并提出了一套针对月度税收收入的预测研究框架, 包括对税收预测模型的拟合、检验、预测、评价、动态修正等主要环节的处理方法. 在该研究框架的指导下, 以增值税、海关代征税和营业税为例, 对2006年各月的税收收入进行了模拟预测, 月度税收收入预测的平均相对误差分别控制在5.47\%, 8.63\%和2.37\%. 最后给出了在实际应用中动态修正税收预测模型的建议, 并简要讨论了时间序列方法在税收预测中面临的问题.     

An introduction to forecasting with time series models

The use of ARIMA time series models in forecasting is reviewed. In connection with this, some important points about forecasting are discussed, including: (1) difficulties in forecasting by fitting and extrapolating a deterministic function of time; (2) the importance of providing reasonable measures of forecast accuracy; and (3) the need to incorporate subject matter knowledge with time series models when forecasting.     

Volatility forecasting for interbank offered rate using grey extreme learning machine: The case of China

Interbank Offered rate is the only direct market rate in China’s currency market. Volatility forecasting of China Interbank Offered Rate (IBOR) has a very important theoretical and practical significance for financial asset pricing and financial risk measure or management. However, IBOR is a dynamics and non-steady time series whose developmental changes have stronger random fluctuation, so it is difficult to forecast the volatility of IBOR. This paper offers a hybrid algorithm using grey model and extreme learning machine (ELM) to forecast volatility of IBOR. The proposed algorithm is composed of three phases. In the first, grey model is used to deal with the original IBOR time series by accumulated generating operation (AGO) and weaken the stochastic volatility in original series. And then, a forecasting model is founded by using ELM to analyze the new IBOR series. Lastly, the predictive value of the original IBOR series can be obtained by inverse accumulated generating operation (IAGO). The new model is applied to forecasting Interbank Offered Rate of China. Compared with the forecasting results of BP and classical ELM, the new model is more efficient to forecasting short- and middle-term volatility of IBOR.     

Improved time-variant fuzzy time series forecast

Since Song and Chissom (Fuzzy Set Syst 54:1–9, 1993a) first proposed the structure of fuzzy time series forecast, researchers have devoted themselves to related studies. Among these studies, Hwang et al. (Fuzzy Set Syst 100:217–228, 1998) revised Song and Chissom’s method, and generated better forecasted results. In their method, however, several factors that affect the accuracy of forecast are not taken into consideration, such as levels of window base, length of interval, degrees of membership values, and the existence of outliers. Focusing on these factors, this study proposes an improved fuzzy time series forecasting method. The improved method can provide decision-makers with more precise forecasted values. Two numerical examples are employed to illustrate the proposed method, as well as to compare the forecasting accuracy of the proposed method with that of two fuzzy forecasting methods. The results of the comparison indicate that the proposed method produces more accurate forecasting results.     

FA-RBF复合神经网络模型及其在地下水位预测中的应用

地下水动态变化过程呈现出高度复杂的非线性特征,增加了地下水位预测的难度.为充分反映地下水位变化过程中自变量和因变量之间的非线性映射关系,克服在获取水文地质参数与查明水文地质条件方面的困难,避免部分智能方法实现繁琐复杂、计算效率低、限制条件多等不足,提出将因子分析方法与RBF神经网络算法构成复合模型,用于地下水位预测.结果表明,复合模型可以用于地下水位预测,模型计算结果可靠,网络训练时间缩短,计算精度有所提高;而且有成熟算法,实现简单.     

An optimization technique based on a vector autoregression model with state space representation: application to Ukrainian cargo transport data

This paper proposes to forecast indicators of the Ukrainian cargo transport system, taking into account their relations with macroeconomic indicators. Increased forecast accuracy at a priori information uncertainty is attained through an optimization technique, starting with a Vector Autoregression (VAR) model of observed multiple time series, its state space representation and subsequent adaptive filtering. The adaptive filter, earlier proposed by the authors, minimizes forecasting errors. Under an optimization criterion, the information divergence of Kullback–Leibler between probability distributions of real values and their estimations is established. The main advantage of the proposed technique is connected with the opportunity to estimate future values of multiple time series even in presence of structural breaks (describing the changes of the status ‘before crisis’ / ‘after crisis’). The observations are available from 2003:1–2011:12, the analysis is performed for the period 2003:1–2011:9. In-sample forecasting of multiple time series of cargo volumes transferred by different transport modes and two macro indicators is compared with the forecast based on a VAR model. In-sample forecast is realized for the last three months 2011:10–2011:12.     

Improving density forecast by modeling asymmetric features: An application to S&P500 returns

A density forecast is an estimate of the probability distribution of the possible future values of a random variable. From the current literature, an economic time series may have three types of asymmetry: asymmetry in unconditional distribution, asymmetry in conditional distribution, volatility asymmetry. In this paper, we propose three density forecasting methods under two-piece normal assumption to capture these asymmetric features. A GARCH model with two-piece normal distribution is developed to capture asymmetries in the conditional distributions. In this approach, we first estimate parameters of a GARCH model by assuming normal innovations, and then fit a two-piece normal distribution to the empirical residuals. Block bootstrap procedure, and moving average method with two-piece normal distribution are presented for volatility asymmetry and asymmetry in the conditional distributions. Application of the developed methods to the weekly S&P500 returns illustrates that forecast quality can be significantly improved by modeling these asymmetric features.