L - Industrial Organization

• Markups in Canada: Have They Changed and Why?

  Staff Working Paper 2008-7 Danny Leung

  Many empirical studies have examined the cyclical nature of the markup ratio. Until recently, few have attempted to ascertain the changes in the markup over a longer time horizon.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, F, F4, F41, L, L1, L11

• A Note on Contestability in the Canadian Banking Industry

  Staff Discussion Paper 2007-7 Jason Allen, Ying Liu

  The authors examine the degree of contestability in the Canadian banking system using the H-statistic proposed by Panzar and Rosse (1987) and modified by Bikker, Spierdijk, and Finnie (2006). A modification is necessary because the standard approach of controlling for size using total assets leads to an upward bias in the H-statistic. The authors propose […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, L, L1, L11

• Micro Foundations of Price-Setting Behaviour: Evidence from Canadian Firms

  Staff Working Paper 2007-31 Daniel de Munnik, Kuan Xu

  How do firms adjust prices in the marketplace? Do they tend to adjust prices infrequently in response to changes in market conditions? If so, why? These remain key questions in macroeconomics, particularly for central banks that work to keep inflation low and stable.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, E, E3, E30, L, L1, L11

• Credit in a Tiered Payments System

  Staff Working Paper 2006-36 Alexandra Lai, Nikil Chande, Sean O'Connor

  Payments systems are typically characterized by some degree of tiering, with upstream firms (clearing agents) providing settlement accounts to downstream institutions that wish to clear and settle payments indirectly in these systems (indirect clearers).

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Market structure and pricing, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, L, L1, L12, L13, L2, L22

• Survey of Price-Setting Behaviour of Canadian Companies

  Staff Working Paper 2006-35 David Amirault, Carolyn Kwan, Gordon Wilkinson

  In many mainstream macroeconomic models, sticky prices play an important role in explaining the effects of monetary policy on the economy.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, E, E3, E30, L, L1, L11

• Multinationals and Exchange Rate Pass-Through

  Staff Working Paper 2006-30 Alexandra Lai, Oana Secrieru

  The authors examine the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on exchange rate pass-through in an environment where an MNE engages in Cournot (quantity) competition with domestic and foreign rivals.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, Exchange rates, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): F, F2, F23, L, L1, L16

• Ownership Concentration and Competition in Banking Markets

  Staff Working Paper 2006-7 Alexandra Lai, Raphael Solomon

  Many countries prohibit large shareholdings in their domestic banks.The authors examine whether such a restriction restrains competition in a duopolistic loan market. Blockholders may influence managers' output decisions by choosing capital structure, as in Brander and Lewis (1986).

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, G28, G3, G32, L, L1, L10

• Investment, Private Information, and Social Learning: A Case Study of the Semiconductor Industry

  Staff Working Paper 2004-32 Rose Cunningham

  Social learning models of investment provide an interesting explanation for sudden changes in investment behaviour.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles JEL Code(s): C, C3, C35, E, E3, E32, L, L6, L63

• Competition in Banking: A Review of the Literature

  Staff Working Paper 2004-24 Carol Ann Northcott

  The author reviews the theoretical and empirical literature to examine the traditional perception that the following trade-off exists between economic efficiency and stability in the banking system: a competitive banking system is more efficient and therefore important to growth, but market power is necessary for stability in the banking system.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, G28, L, L1, L11, L12, L13, L16

• The Economic Theory of Retail Pricing: A Survey

  Staff Working Paper 2004-8 Oana Secrieru

  The types of contracts that arise in a typical vertical manufacturer–retailer relationship are more sophisticated than usually assumed in standard macroeconomic models.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, L, L2, L22, L4, L42