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A Simple Mineral Market Model: Can it produce Super Cycles in prices?

Author

Listed:
  • John T. Cuddington

    (Division of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines)

  • Abdel M. Zellou

    (Independent Petroleum Consultant)

Abstract

This paper develops a stylized supply-demand model for a mineral / nonrenewable commodity. It embodies important distinctions between short-run and long-run mineral supply and the derived demand for minerals as intermediate goods in production sectors with differing intensities of use. This framework is used to address the question: under what conditions might one expect to observe super cycles (i.e. cycles with a period of 20-70 years) in minerals prices? A plausible time path for GDP growth and the structural transformation that accompanies economic development in an emerging region is specified. Using these drivers and reasonable supply and demand parameters, price dynamics are simulated. The result is an asymmetric price cycle with a peak price that is about 250% above trend and an expansion phase that lasts for about 20 years. Thus, this simple model is capable of producing a single cycle with a frequency and amplitude in the range estimated in the empirical literature on super cycles. As other regions reach the development `take-off' phase, additional super cycles should emerge.

Suggested Citation

  • John T. Cuddington & Abdel M. Zellou, 2012. "A Simple Mineral Market Model: Can it produce Super Cycles in prices?," Working Papers 2012-05, Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:mns:wpaper:wp201205
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    Cited by:

    1. Vásquez Cordano, Arturo L. & Zellou, Abdel M., 2020. "Super cycles in natural gas prices and their impact on Latin American energy and environmental policies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Yves Jégourel, 2018. "Tendances et cyclicité du prix des matières premières (partie 2) : le super-cycle des matières premières en question," Policy notes & Policy briefs 1824, Policy Center for the New South.
    3. Juan Ignacio Guzmán & Enrique Silva, 2018. "Copper price determination: fundamentals versus non-fundamentals," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 31(3), pages 283-300, October.
    4. Abdel M. Zellou & John T. Cuddington, 2012. "Trends and Super Cycles in Crude Oil and Coal Prices," Working Papers 2012-10, Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business.
    5. Govorukha, Kristina & Mayer, Philip & Rübbelke, Dirk & Vögele, Stefan, 2020. "Economic disruptions in long-term energy scenarios – Implications for designing energy policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    6. Harald Ulrik Sverdrup & Anna Hulda Olafsdottir, 2020. "Conceptualization and parameterization of the market price mechanism in the WORLD6 model for metals, materials, and fossil fuels," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 33(3), pages 285-310, October.
    7. Baffes,John & Kabundi,Alain Ntumba & Nagle,Peter Stephen Oliver & Ohnsorge,Franziska Lieselotte, 2018. "The role of major emerging markets in global commodity demand," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8495, The World Bank.
    8. Schischke, A. & Papenfuß, P. & Brem, M. & Kurz, P. & Rathgeber, A.W., 2023. "Sustainable energy transition and its demand for scarce resources: Insights into the German Energiewende through a new risk assessment framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    9. Emilio Castillo & Roderick Eggert, 2019. "Reconciling Diverging Views on Mineral Depletion: A Modified Cumulative Availability Curve Applied to Copper Resources," Working Papers 2019-02, Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business.
    10. Arturo L. Vásquez Cordano & Abdel M. Zellou, 2016. "Where are natural gas prices heading, and what are the environmental consequences for Latin America?," Working Papers 71, Peruvian Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Super Cycles; Long Cycles; Metal Markets; Metals' Intensity of Use;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications

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