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Does Concentration Matter? Measurement of Petroleum Merger Price Effects

Author

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  • Daniel Hosken
  • Louis Silvia
  • Christopher Taylor

Abstract

We have estimated the price effects of two changes in market structure resulting from two changes in the ownership of gasoline refineries in the San Francisco Bay area: Tosco's purchase of Unocal's Rodeo refinery in April 1997 and UDS's purchase of Tosco's Avon refinery in August 2000. These events provide a relatively unique opportunity to test a price concentration relationship. If market concentration is related to price, then we should observe prices increase and then decrease by a similar amount following these transactions. We do not find evidence of a consistent price concentration relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Hosken & Louis Silvia & Christopher Taylor, 2011. "Does Concentration Matter? Measurement of Petroleum Merger Price Effects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 45-50, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:101:y:2011:i:3:p:45-50
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christopher T. Taylor & Daniel S. Hosken, 2007. "The Economic Effects Of The Marathon‐Ashland Joint Venture: The Importance Of Industry Supply Shocks And Vertical Market Structure," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 419-451, September.
    2. Justine S. Hastings & Richard J. Gilbert, 2005. "Market Power, Vertical Integration And The Wholesale Price Of Gasoline," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 469-492, December.
    3. Christopher Taylor & Jeffrey Fischer, 2003. "A Review of West Coast Gasoline Pricing and the Impact of Regulations," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 225-243.
    4. Unknown & Dennis Carlton, 2009. "Why We Need to Measure the Effect of Merger Policy and How to Do It," CPI Journal, Competition Policy International, vol. 5.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Soetevent, Adriaan R. & Bružikas, Tadas, 2018. "The impact of process innovation on prices: Evidence from automated fuel retailing in The Netherlands," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 181-196.
    3. Christos Genakos & Tommaso Valletti & Frank Verboven, 2018. "Evaluating market consolidation in mobile communications," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 33(93), pages 45-100.
    4. Brito, Duarte & Pereira, Pedro & Ramalho, Joaquim J.S., 2013. "Mergers, coordinated effects and efficiency in the Portuguese non-life insurance industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 554-568.
    5. Orley Ashenfelter & Daniel Hosken & Matthew Weinberg, 2014. "Did Robert Bork Understate the Competitive Impact of Mergers? Evidence from Consummated Mergers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(S3), pages 67-100.
    6. Verboven, Frank & Björnerstedt, Jonas, 2012. "Does Merger Simulation Work? A "Natural Experiment" in the Swedish Analgesics Market Market," CEPR Discussion Papers 9027, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. repec:dgr:rugsom:14027-eef is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Bruzikas, Tadas & Soetevent, Adriaan, 2014. "Detailed data and changes in market structure," Research Report 14027-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    9. Tadas Bruzikas & Adriaan R. Soetevent, 2014. "Detailed Data and Changes in Market Structure: The Move to Unmanned Gasoline Service Stations," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-123/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    10. Grigolon, Laura & Leheyda, Nina & Verboven, Frank, 2016. "Scrapping subsidies during the financial crisis — Evidence from Europe," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 41-59.
    11. Erdős, Katalin & Baczur, Roland & Kehl, Dániel & Farkas, Richárd, 2022. "When post-merger price effect becomes smoothed over time: A case of a gasoline market merger," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    12. Franco Mariuzzo & Peter L. Ormosi, 2017. "Post-merger price dynamics matter, so why do merger retrospectives ignore them?," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2016-05, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    13. John Kwoka & Chengyan Gu, 2015. "Predicting Merger Outcomes: The Accuracy of Stock Market Event Studies, Market Structure Characteristics, and Agency Decisions," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(3).
    14. Marc Ivaldi & Jiekai Zhang, 2022. "Platform Mergers: Lessons from a Case in the Digital TV Market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 591-630, September.
    15. Greenfield, Daniel, 2014. "Competition and service quality: New evidence from the airline industry," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 80-89.
    16. Zulehner, Christine & Gugler, Klaus Peter & Weichselbaumer, Michael, 2015. "Analysis of mergers in first-price auctions," CEPR Discussion Papers 10799, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Ivaldi, Marc & Zhang, Jiekai, 2020. "Platform Mergers: Lessons from a Case in the Digital TV Market," CEPR Discussion Papers 14895, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Nicholas Kreisle, 2015. "Merger Policy at the Margin: Western Refining’s Acquisition of Giant Industries," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 47(1), pages 71-89, August.
    19. Marc Ivaldi & Jiekai Zhang, 2022. "Platform mergers: lessons from a case in the digital TV market," Post-Print hal-03881366, HAL.

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