IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ime/imemes/v15y1997i1p27-62.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Markup Pricing and Monetary Policy: A Reexamination of the Effectiveness of Monetary Policy under Imperfect Competition

Author

Listed:
  • Baba, Naohiko

    (Bank of Japan)

Abstract

If markup ratios fluctuate widely, so does output volume and investment. This magnifies the business cycle and increases uncertainty about future economic conditions. This paper investigates the implication for monetary policy by analyzing markup ratios. The main conclusions are (1) as a result of the failure of Japanese firms to fully adjust their prices to exogenous shocks, markup ratios sometimes greatly deviate from trend lines. (2) According to the menu-cost theorem, the existence of costs associated with price changes prevents firms from changing prices to the level consistent with marginal costs, thus reducing social welfare. In this regard, establishing a money supply rule under which monetary authorities accommodate exogenous shocks provides an incentive for firms to change their prices. (3) Markup pricing magnifies the social welfare cost of inflation. In this argument, monetary authorities have the optimal choice of tightening monetary policy even under low inflation, if they observe that markup ratios have remained high.

Suggested Citation

  • Baba, Naohiko, 1997. "Markup Pricing and Monetary Policy: A Reexamination of the Effectiveness of Monetary Policy under Imperfect Competition," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 15(1), pages 27-62, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:ime:imemes:v:15:y:1997:i:1:p:27-62
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.imes.boj.or.jp/research/papers/english/me15-1-2.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Naohiko Baba, 1995. "On the Cause of Price and Differentials between Domestic and Overseas Markets : Approach Through Empirical Analyses of Markup Pricing," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 13(2), pages 45-74, December.
    2. Hahn, Frank, 1990. "On Inflation," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 6(4), pages 15-25, Winter.
    3. John Haltiwanger & Joseph E. Harrington Jr., 1991. "The Impact of Cyclical Demand Movements on Collusive Behavior," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(1), pages 89-106, Spring.
    4. Haskel, Jonathan & Martin, Christopher & Small, Ian, 1995. "Price, Marginal Cost and the Business Cycle," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 57(1), pages 25-41, February.
    5. Rotemberg, Julio J, 1982. "Sticky Prices in the United States," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(6), pages 1187-1211, December.
    6. Akerlof, George A & Yellen, Janet L, 1985. "Can Small Deviations from Rationality Make Significant Differences to Economic Equilibria?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 708-720, September.
    7. Driffill, John & Mizon, Grayham E. & Ulph, Alistair, 1990. "Costs of inflation," Handbook of Monetary Economics, in: B. M. Friedman & F. H. Hahn (ed.), Handbook of Monetary Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 19, pages 1013-1066, Elsevier.
    8. Fukuda, Shin-Ichi & Teruyama, Hiroshi & Toda, Hiro Y., 1991. "Inflation and price-wage dispersions in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 160-188, June.
    9. Roberts, John M & Stockton, David J & Struckmeyer, Charles S, 1994. "Evidence on the Flexibility of Prices," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 76(1), pages 142-150, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nicolas Canry & Julien Fouquau & Sébastien Lechevalier, 2010. "Price Dynamics In Japan (1981-2001): A Structural Analysis Of Mechanisms In The Goods And Labor Markets," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 53(3/4), pages 357-374.
    2. Ripatti, Antti, 1997. "Inflation targeting and the role of money in a model with sticky prices and sticky money," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 17/1997, Bank of Finland.
    3. Ahmadi-Javid, Amir & Hoseinpour, Pooya, 2015. "A location-inventory-pricing model in a supply chain distribution network with price-sensitive demands and inventory-capacity constraints," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 238-255.
    4. Markus Pasche, 1997. "Markup Pricing and Demand Uncertainty," Working Paper Series B 1997-08, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, School of of Economics and Business Administration, revised 01 Jun 1998.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ireland, Peter N., 2003. "Endogenous money or sticky prices?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(8), pages 1623-1648, November.
    2. Joseph E. Gagnon, 2008. "Inflation regimes and inflation expectations," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 90(May), pages 229-243.
    3. Coenen Günter & Orphanides Athanasios & Wieland Volker, 2004. "Price Stability and Monetary Policy Effectiveness when Nominal Interest Rates are Bounded at Zero," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 1-25, February.
    4. Michael Frenkel & Gil Mehrez, 1997. "The Misallocation of Resources of Anticipated Inflation," Macroeconomics 9706003, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Andrea Vaona, 2016. "A nonparametric panel data approach to the cyclical dynamics of price-cost margins in the fourth Kondratieff wave," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 6(2), pages 155-170, August.
    6. Mondino, Guillermo & Sturzenegger, Federico & Tommasi, Mariano, 1996. "Recurrent High Inflation and Stabilization: A Dynamic Game," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 37(4), pages 981-996, November.
    7. René Lalonde & Zhenhua Zhu & Frédérick Demers, 2003. "Forecasting and Analyzing World Commodity Prices," Money Affairs, CEMLA, vol. 0(1), pages 1-30, January-J.
    8. Ghosal, Vivek, 2000. "Product market competition and the industry price-cost markup fluctuations:: role of energy price and monetary changes," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 415-444, April.
    9. Bruno S. Frey & Alois Stutzer, 2002. "What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 402-435, June.
    10. Richards, Timothy J. & Patterson, Paul M., 2004. "Causes of retail price fixity: an empirical analysis," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 117-136.
    11. Choudhary, M. Ali & Faheem, Abdul & Hanif, M. Nadim & Naeem, Saima & Pasha, Farooq, 2016. "Price setting & price stickiness: A developing economy perspective," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 44-61.
    12. Vernasca, Gianluigi, 2003. "Dynamic Price Competition With Price Adjustment Costs And Product Differentiation," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 681, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    13. Gerberding, Christina, 2001. "The information content of survey data on expected price developments for monetary policy," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2001,09, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    14. Carlos José García T. & Jorge Enrique Restrepo, 2003. "Price Inflation and Exchange Rate Pass-Trough in Chile," Money Affairs, CEMLA, vol. 0(1), pages 69-88, January-J.
    15. Korner, Julia & Weiss, Christoph R., 2001. "Die Zyklik der Profite in der Ernährungswirtschaft: Ein internationaler Vergleich," German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department for Agricultural Economics, vol. 50(03), pages 1-5.
    16. Bils, Mark & Chang, Yongsung, 2000. "Understanding how price responds to costs and production," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 33-77, June.
    17. Prudence Serju, 2003. "Monetary Conditions and Core Inflation: an Application of Neural Networks," Money Affairs, CEMLA, vol. 0(1), pages 31-50, January-J.
    18. Strachman, Eduardo & Vasconcelos, Marcos Roberto, 2001. "An institutional analysis of some monetary issues in developing economies," MPRA Paper 15128, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised May 2009.
    19. Mariano Tommasi, 1996. "High inflation: resource misallocations and growth effects," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 23(2 Year 19), pages 157-177, December.
    20. Vernasca, Gianluigi, 2003. "Dynamic Price Competition with Price Adjustment Costs and Product Differentiation," Economic Research Papers 269565, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ime:imemes:v:15:y:1997:i:1:p:27-62. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kinken (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/imegvjp.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.