The Product-Mix Auction: a New Auction Design for Differentiated Goods

Paul Klemperer

No 7395, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: I describe a new static (sealed-bid) auction for differentiated goods - the "Product-Mix Auction". Bidders bid on multiple assets simultaneously, and bidtakers choose supply functions across assets. The auction yields greater efficiency, revenue, information, and trade than running multiple separate auctions. It is also often simpler to use and understand, and less vulnerable to collusion, than a simultaneous multiple round auction. I designed it after the 2007 Northern Rock bank-run to help the Bank of England fight the credit crunch; in 2008 the U.S. Treasury planned using a related design to buy "toxic assets"; it may be used to purchase electricity.

Keywords: Central banking; Multi-object auction; Simultaneous ascending auction; Tarp; Term auction; Treasury auction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D44 E58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-08
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://cepr.org/publications/DP7395 (application/pdf)
CEPR Discussion Papers are free to download for our researchers, subscribers and members. If you fall into one of these categories but have trouble downloading our papers, please contact us at subscribers@cepr.org

Related works:
Journal Article: The Product-Mix Auction: A New Auction Design for Differentiated Goods (2010)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7395

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
https://cepr.org/publications/DP7395

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers Centre for Economic Policy Research, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().