Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/238203 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Oldenburg Discussion Papers in Economics No. V-436-21
Publisher: 
University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, Oldenburg
Abstract: 
Besides temporal and spatial aggregation issues in the analysis of asymmetric response of retail gasoline prices, previous studies have also largely ignored parameter heterogeneity across fuel stations. This paper addresses the aggregation issues and the parameter homogeneity assumption by examining the responsiveness of stations to input cost changes using daily station-specific retail and wholesale gasoline prices for 12,613 geographically diverse stations. Based on individual station analysis using asymmetric error correction models, we find that 48% of stations engage in competitive pricing while the remaining 52% exhibit the rockets and feathers pricing pattern. Our findings suggest that the rockets and feathers phenomenon is a feature of individual stations and local market characteristics are important determinants. We also show that pooled panel regression techniques obscure the actual pricing pattern observed from station-level time series analysis.
Subjects: 
Asymmetric Pricing
Input Cost
Price Transparency
Aggregation
JEL: 
Q41
Q48
R40
L40
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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