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Price Dispersion and Wholesale Costs Shocks in the Colombian Retail Gasoline Markets

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  • Alex Perez
  • Juan Sebastián Vélez-Velásquez

Abstract

Price dispersion is a prevalent feature even of markets where, arguably, homogeneous good are traded. At the heart of the causes of price dispersion lie the firms’ strategic interactions with their customers and rivals. Consumers’ eagerness and ability to search for lower prices tends to reduce dispersion because it enhances competition. Firms inability to sustain tacit collusion, on the other hand, increases price dispersion. Wholesale costs shock can impact both. We use data on retail gasoline markets from Colombia to assess whether changes in price dispersion following wholesale cost shocks are explained by consumer searching or by firms breaking away from collusive equilibria. We also explore the role played by market structure on the extent of price dispersion. Our findings suggest that changes in price dispersion following wholesale cost shocks are driven by consumers searching more intensely for lower prices. We also find a positive correlation between the number of service stations in a market and how disperse prices are. Our results are robust to alternative ways of measuring price dispersion and alternative ways of defining relevant markets. **** RESUMEN: La dispersión de precios es una característica prevalente de mercados en los que se transan bienes que son presuntamente homogéneos. Entre las causas de dicha dispersión de precios se destacan las interacciones estratégicas entre las firmas y entre éstas y sus clientes. La propensión de los consumidores a buscar un precio más bajo reduce la dispersión porque incrementa la competencia. La inhabilidad de las firmas para sostener colusión tácita, por otra parte, incrementa la dispersión. Los costos mayoristas pueden afectar a ambas. En este documento usamos datos de los mercados de gasolina minoristas colombianos para averiguar si los patrones de dispersión que se observan después de un choque de costos son explicados porque los consumidores buscan más intensivamente o porque las firmas se desvían de un equilibrio colusivo. Además, exploramos el papel que juega la estructura de mercado en el nivel de dispersión de precios. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que los cambios en el nivel de dispersión de precios después de un choque de costos son determinados por consumidores que buscan más intensamente por menores precios. También encontramos una relación positiva entre el número de estaciones de servicio en el mercado y que tan dispersos son los precios. Nuestros resultados son robustos a distintas formas de definir el precio y los mercados relevantes.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Perez & Juan Sebastián Vélez-Velásquez, 2022. "Price Dispersion and Wholesale Costs Shocks in the Colombian Retail Gasoline Markets," Borradores de Economia 1220, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
  • Handle: RePEc:bdr:borrec:1220
    DOI: 10.32468/be.1220
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Price dispersion; gasoline markets; wholesale costs; retail prices; Dispersión de precios; mercados de gasolina; costos mayoristas; precios minoristas;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • Q49 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Other
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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