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Asymmetries in Price-Setting Behavior: New Microeconometric Evidence from Switzerland

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  • Bo E. Honoré
  • Daniel Kaufmann
  • Sarah M. Lein

Abstract

In this paper we follow the recent empirical literature that has specified reduced-form models for price setting that are closely tied to (S, s)-pricing rules. Our contribution to the literature is twofold. First, we propose an estimator that relaxes distributional assumptions on the unobserved heterogeneity. Second, we use the estimator to examine asymmetries in price-setting behavior. Using micro price data underlying the Swiss CPI we find that a substantial share of asymmetries in the frequency of price changes can be traced back to a rising aggregate price level. We show that asymmetries would be reduced substantially in the absence of aggregate inflation.

Suggested Citation

  • Bo E. Honoré & Daniel Kaufmann & Sarah M. Lein, 2012. "Asymmetries in Price-Setting Behavior: New Microeconometric Evidence from Switzerland," Working Papers 2012-09, Swiss National Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:snb:snbwpa:2012-09
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    Cited by:

    1. Föllmi, Reto & Minsch, Rudolf & Schnell, Fabian, 2016. "What Determines Price Changes and the Distribution of Prices? Evidence from the Swiss CPI," Economics Working Paper Series 1610, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    2. Øivind A. Nilsen & Magne Vange, 2019. "Intermittent Price Changes in Production Plants: Empirical Evidence Using Monthly Data," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 81(1), pages 98-122, February.
    3. Letterie, Wilko & Nilsen, Øivind A., 2016. "Price Changes - Stickiness and Internal Coordination in Multiproduct Firms," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 21/2016, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    4. Foellmi, Reto & Jaeggi, Adrian & Schnell, Fabian, 2020. "Currency appreciation, distance to border and price changes: Evidence from Swiss retail prices," Economics Working Paper Series 2007, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    5. Maiko Koga & Koichi Yoshino & Tomoya Sakata, 2020. "Strategic complementarity and asymmetric price setting among firms," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Inflation dynamics in Asia and the Pacific, volume 111, pages 85-97, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Erwan Gautier & Ronan Le Saout, 2015. "The Dynamics of Gasoline Prices: Evidence from Daily French Micro Data," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(6), pages 1063-1089, September.
    7. Sohei Kaihatsu & Mitsuru Katagiri & Noriyuki Shiraki, 2017. "Phillips Curve and Price-Change Distribution under Declining Trend Inflation," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 17-E-5, Bank of Japan.
    8. Daniel Kaufmann, 2015. "Nominal stability and Swiss monetary regimes over two centuries," KOF Working papers 15-379, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    9. Xie, Jin, 2020. "Capital-market consequences of asymmetric output-price rigidities," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 221-239.
    10. Maiko Koga & Koichi Yoshino & Tomoya Sakata, 2019. "Strategic Complementarity and Asymmetric Price Setting among Firms," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 19-E-5, Bank of Japan.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asymmetric price setting; downward nominal price rigidity; front loading; menu-cost model; heterogeneity; CPI micro data; panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E4 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • C3 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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