Forecasting the term structure of interest rates for Turkey: a factor analysis approach

We perform factor analysis on monthly yield curves estimated by Nelson-Siegel model using the Turkish secondary government securities market data. Monthly yield curves are characterized by three factors which are estimated using nominal volume-weighted average monthly zero-coupon yields. According to the loadings of each factor, we label the factors as level, slope and curvature. Next, we forecast yield curves using AR-GARCH and random walk processes and compare their relative performance. Our results indicate that the three factor model has high explanatory power and that the AR-GARCH specification has superior forecasting power for Turkey.