Before revision:  We argue that regression tree models are ideally suited for macroeconomic nowcasting in the face of the extreme observations produced by the pandemic due to their flexibility and ability to model outliers.
After revision:  We argue that regression tree models are ideally suited for macroeconomic nowcasting in the face of the extreme observations produced by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This is due to their flexibility and ability to model outliers.