International linkages improve economic forecasts, beating traditional models consistently.
A new model called B-GVAR was created to predict how different countries' economies affect each other. When looking at real GDP, inflation, exchange rates, and interest rates, the B-GVAR model was better at predicting inflation, real GDP, and exchange rates compared to other models. However, it struggled to beat other models in predicting interest rates. Using a specific method called SSVS prior helped improve predictions consistently. Overall, the B-GVAR model outperformed other models in predicting economic variables across different time frames.