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Investment spikes and uncertainty in the petroleum refining industry

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Author Info
Timothy Dunne
Xiaoyi Mu

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Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of uncertainty on the investment decisions of petroleum refineries in the US. We construct uncertainty measures from commodity futures market and use data on actual capacity changes to measure investment episodes. Capacity changes in US refineries occur infrequently and a small number of investment spikes account for a large fraction of the change in industry capacity. Given the lumpy nature of investment adjustment in this industry, we empirically model the investment process using hazard models. An increase in uncertainty decreases the probability a refinery adjusts its capacity. The results are robust to various investment thresholds. Our findings lend support to theories that emphasize the role of irreversibility in investment decisions.

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Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in its series Working Paper with number 0805.

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Date of creation: 2008
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedcwp:0805

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Keywords: Investments Uncertainty Petroleum industry and trade

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  16. Baker, Michael & Melino, Angelo, 2000. "Duration dependence and nonparametric heterogeneity: A Monte Carlo study," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 357-393, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Ghosal, Vivek & Loungani, Prakash, 1996. "Product Market Competition and the Impact of Price Uncertainty on Investment: Some Evidence from US Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(2), pages 217-28, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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This page was last updated on 2008-11-7.

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