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Price Rigidity and Price Dispersion: Evidence from Micro Data

Author

Listed:
  • Eyal Baharad

    (University of Haifa)

  • Benjamin Eden

    () (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University and the University of Haifa)

Abstract

We use large unpublished data set about the prices by store of 381 products collected by the Israeli bureau of statistics during 1991-92 in the process of computing the CPI. On average 24% of the stores changed their price where the average is over products and months. Using the standard calculation this would imply that on average prices remain unchanged for 4.1 months. We argue that the standard calculation suffers from a large aggregation bias due to Jensen's inequality and our best estimate suggests that prices remain unchanged on average for more than 7.5 months. We then assess the importance of price rigidity in generating price dispersion. We find no evidence that price rigidity as measured by the frequency of nominal price changes is related to price dispersion. We also find no evidence that a shock to the inflation rate increases price dispersion. These findings are not consistent with standard versions of the staggered price setting model but are roughly consistent with a simple version of the uncertain and sequential trade model.

Suggested Citation

  • Eyal Baharad & Benjamin Eden, 2003. "Price Rigidity and Price Dispersion: Evidence from Micro Data," Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers 0321, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:van:wpaper:0321
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Micro data; price dispersion; sticky prices;

    JEL classification:

    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • L00 - Industrial Organization - - General - - - General

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