Dynamic pricing and asymmetries in retail gasoline markets: What can they tell us about price stickiness?

Christopher C. Douglas and Ana María Herrera

Economics Letters, 2014, vol. 122, issue 2, 247-252

Abstract: Theoretical explanations for price stickiness used in businesses cycle models are diverse (e.g., information processing delays, rational inattention and fair pricing), with each theory resulting in a different implication for inflation dynamics. Using an autoregressive conditional binomial model and a data set consisting of daily observations of price and cost for 15 Philadelphia retail gasoline stations, we test which of these theories is most consistent with the observed pattern of price adjustment. Our findings of time dependence, asymmetry and the role of cost volatility are consistent with a combination of fairness considerations and rational inattention by producers.

Keywords: Sticky prices; Price adjustment; Gasoline prices; Discrete valued time series (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C22 D4 E3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:122:y:2014:i:2:p:247-252

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2013.11.025

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