Problems and Instruments of Business Cycle Analysis

Every two years the members of GIRET (= Centre for International Re search on Economic Tendency Surveys) meet at conferences in order to promote the scientific discussion and to encourage the exchange of ideas. CIRET is an international study group for research in the field of business cycle surveys. CIRET was founded in 1960 and has at present about 350 full and corresponding members in 35 different coun tries. The members either carry out business, investment or consumer 1 surveys or are working on a practical or methodological level with the results of such surveys. The most important topics of the GIRET conferences are the predictive value of survey data as trade cycle indicators, the utilization of qualitative data in econometric models, forecasts of capital expenditures based on plans of private companies, the usefulness of consumer surveys for trade cycle analyses. In September 1977 the 13th CIRET Conference took place in Munich. On the occasion of the three-day conference 27 papers were presented.