Nonlinearities in the response of real GDP to oil price shocks

Abstract

This paper re-examines whether real GDP growth responds asymmetrically to real oil price increases and decreases using a sample that includes the recent oil price declines. I follow Kilian and Vigfusson (2011a) and conduct a test of symmetry. I find no evidence against the null of symmetry using the 3-year net oil price increase specification. Moreover, I find that the results are not stable for different nonlinear transformations of the real price of oil. Finally, evidence of asymmetry vanishes after computing specification robust critical values.