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Price adjustments by a gasoline retail chain

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  • Asplund, Marcus

    (Dept. of Economic Statistics, Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Eriksson, Rickard

    (Dept. of Economic Statistics, Stockholm School of Economics)

  • Friberg, Richard

    (Dept. of Economic Statistics, Stockholm School of Economics)

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed examination of price responses in the Swedish gasoline market to changes in the world market price. We use daily price data from one of the leading retail chains together with input costs (spot market price and exchange rate)for the period January 1980 to December (1996). Over the period the list price was increased (decreased) 130 (120) times, but the periodicity varies substantially and there are very few small price adjustments. This pattern is broadly consistent with a state-dependent pricing rule. Predictions of a simple Ss-model are tested with an ordered probit sample selection model. The results show that price adjustments are more likely to occur when either the input price or the exchange rate has moved significantly since the last price adjustment. However, our results indicate that prices are not adjusted to the long run equilibrium price at once. Therefore we explore an error correction model (ECM), that shows that in the short run prices are gradually moving towards the long run equlibrium in response to cost shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Asplund, Marcus & Eriksson, Rickard & Friberg, Richard, 1997. "Price adjustments by a gasoline retail chain," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 194, Stockholm School of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0194
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    price adjustment; sticky prices; price rigidities; exchange rate pass-through; ordered probit sample selection; error correction model; gasoline market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C24 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models; Threshold Regression Models
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L71 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction - - - Mining, Extraction, and Refining: Hydrocarbon Fuels

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