Ege Yazgan

Prof. Ege Yazgan is a full Professor of Economics at Istanbul Bilgi University, where he serves in multiple leadership roles including Interim Rector and Director of the Center for Financial Studies (CEFIS). He is affiliated with the Faculty of Business Administration and the Department of Economics. His academic work spans econometrics, macroeconomics, and financial economics, with a strong focus on Turkish economic policy.

• PhD, University of Sussex (2000)
• MA, Istanbul University and Boğaziçi University
• BA, Faculty of Economics, Istanbul University (1991)

His research interests include Applied Econometrics, Monetary Policy, International Finance, GDP Nowcasting, and Financial Cycles. He is the founder of simditahmin.com, a real-time Turkish GDP forecasting platform, and frequently uses high-frequency and big data in his models. He has published extensively in journals such as International Journal of Forecasting, Empirical Economics, and Journal of Business Cycle Research.

The recent trends in his publications show a growing emphasis on nowcasting using alternative data sources (e.g., online prices, financial transactions), machine learning applications in macroeconomic forecasting, and nonlinear modeling of financial and business cycles in emerging markets, particularly Turkey.

Scientific contributions and outreach:

• Regular commentator on macroeconomic issues in Turkish media (CNBC-e, Bloomberg, NTV, TRT)
• Organizer of major conferences in macro-finance and econometrics
• Active participant in policy debates on inflation, external deficits, and financial stability

Advising and grants: He has advised multiple researchers and co-authored numerous papers with junior colleagues such as B. Soybilgen and H. Kaya. He has led research projects on forecasting and financial studies, supported through institutional and academic grants, though specific grant names are not listed. He is a member of several research centers including CEFIS, Murat Sertel Center, Rimini Center, and Economic Research Forum.

Labs and teams: He leads the Center for Information Finance Research (CEFIS) at Istanbul Bilgi University, which focuses on financial data analysis, econometric modeling, and macroeconomic forecasting. The center organizes workshops and collaborates with international scholars in nonlinear dynamics and econometrics.