Lost in Transit: Product Replacement Bias and Pricing to Market

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2012
Volume: 102
Issue: 7
Pages: 3277-3316

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

In the microdata underlying US trade price indexes, 40 percent of products are replaced before a single price change is observed and 70 percent are replaced after two price changes or fewer. A price index that focuses on price changes for identical items may, therefore, miss an important component of price adjustment occurring at the time of product replacements. We provide a model of this "product replacement bias" and quantify its importance using US data. Accounting for product replacement bias, long-run exchange rate "pass-through" is substantially higher than conventional estimates suggest, and the terms of trade are substantially more volatile. (JEL F14, F31)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:102:y:2012:i:7:p:3277-3316
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-26