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Stuck at Zero: Price Rigidity in a Runaway Inflation

Author

Listed:
  • Avichai Snir

    (Department of Banking and Finance, Netanya Academic College, Israel)

  • Haipeng (Allan) Chen

    (Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky, USA)

  • Daniel Levy

    (Department of Economics, Bar-Ilan University, Israel; Department of Economics, Emory University, USA; Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis)

Abstract

We use micro level retail price data from convenience stores to study the link between 0-ending price points and price rigidity during a period of a runaway inflation, when the annual inflation rate was in the range of 60%–430%. Surprisingly, we find that more round prices are less likely to adjust, and when they do adjust, the average adjustments are larger. These findings suggest that price adjustment barriers associated with round prices are strong enough to cause a systematic delay in price adjustments even in a period of a runaway inflation, when 85 percent of the prices change every month.

Suggested Citation

  • Avichai Snir & Haipeng (Allan) Chen & Daniel Levy, 2021. "Stuck at Zero: Price Rigidity in a Runaway Inflation," Working Paper series 21-10, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    • Handle: RePEc:rim:rimwps:21-10
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Levy, Daniel & Lee, Dongwon & Chen, Haipeng (Allan) & Kauffman, Robert J. & Bergen, Mark, 2011. "Price Points and Price Rigidity," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 93(4), pages 1417-1431.
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    7. Snir, Avichai & Levy, Daniel, 2021. "If You Think 9-Ending Prices Are Low, Think Again," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(1 (Forthc).
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    Cited by:

    1. Snir, Avichai & Chen, Haipeng (Allan) & Levy, Daniel, 2022. "Zero-Ending Prices, Cognitive Convenience, and Price Rigidity," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 203, pages 519-542.
    2. Daniel Levy & Avichai Snir, 2022. "Potterian economics," Oxford Open Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 1, pages 1-32.
    3. Bergen, Mark & Bergen, Thomas & Levy, Daniel & Semenov, Rose, 2022. "3 Lessons from Hyperinflationary Periods," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Forthcomi.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sticky Prices; Rigid Prices; 0-Ending Price Points; 9-Ending Price points; Runaway Inflation; Hyperinflation; Cost of Price Adjustment; Menu Cost;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure

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