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Price Rigidity in Brazil: Evidence from CPI Micro Data

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Author Info
Solange Gouvea
Abstract

In this paper, I investigate the patterns of price adjustments in Brazil. I derive the main stylized facts describing the behavior of price setters directly from a large data set of the CPI price quotes spanning approximately ten years until 2006. I find that on average prices remain unchanged for 2.7 to 3.8 months, exhibiting, however, a large degree of product and sector heterogeneity. Data on the frequency and sign of price changes show that there is a strong symmetry between price increase and decrease. Conversely, as expected under a positive inflation environment, the magnitude of positive price changes compensates this effect. I also provide some insights on the determinants of the patterns of price adjustment. The average duration of price spells decreased when the economy was hit by a confidence shock before 2002 presidential elections. The inflation rate of 5.9 % in 2000, jumped to 7.7% in 2001 and hiked to 12.6 % in 2002. Results suggest that substantial disturbances to average inflation imposed a high enough cost of not adjusting prices and triggered more frequent price reviews.

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Paper provided by Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department in its series Working Papers Series with number 143.

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Date of creation: Sep 2007
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Handle: RePEc:bcb:wpaper:143

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Web page: http://www.bcb.gov.br/?english

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Eduardo J. A. Lima & Felipe Luduvice & Benjamin M. Tabak, 2006. "Forecasting Interest Rates: an application for Brazil," Working Papers Series 120, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  2. Victorio Y. T. Chu & Márcio I. Nakane, 2001. "Credit Channel without the LM Curve," Working Papers Series 20, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  3. Mirta Noemí Sataka Bugarin & Roberto de Goes Ellery Jr. & Victor Gomes Silva & Marcelo Kfoury Muinhos, 2005. "Steady State Analysis of an Open Economy General Equilibrium Model for Brazil," Working Papers Series 92, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  4. Theodore M. Barnhill & Marcos R. Souto & Benjamin M. Tabak, 2006. "An Analysis of Off-Site Supervision of Banks' Profitability, Risk and Capital Adequacy: a portfolio simulation approach applied to brazilian banks," Working Papers Series 117, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
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  1. Juan Pablo Medina & David Rappoport & Claudio Soto, 2007. "Dynamics of Price Adjustments: Evidence From Micro Level Data for Chile," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 432, Central Bank of Chile. [Downloadable!]
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