Price Increases Research Articles

Do higher global oil and wheat prices matter for the wheat flour price in Lebanon?

AbstractThis article investigates the effect of global oil and wheat prices, and local price shocks on the real price of wheat flour in Lebanon. We estimate a structural vector autoregressive model with exogenous variables (SVARX) using Bayesian methods. We then compute the impulse response functions and find that global commodity price shocks play a trivial role. Meanwhile, local gasoline price and wheat flour price‐specific shocks trigger large increases in the Lebanese wheat flour price on impact. Furthermore, since 2020, local gasoline price and wheat flour price‐specific shocks have contributed the most to the historical variation in the Lebanese wheat flour price.

COMPRENSIÓN DEL MERCADO ENERGÉTICO ESPAÑOL 2022 CON UN ANÁLISIS DE LOS DATOS OFICIALES

The energy situation that occurred in the Spanish electricity and natural gas markets in 2022 implies the concept of a global crisis. This entails a significant increase in the prices of electricity and natural gas. Historically, the relationship between these two concepts has always been substantial, as demonstrated in the conducted study. This article aims to analyze whether this relationship between both markets has continued to be strong in the past year, 2022, and to assess the factors that may have distorted the results. To achieve this, publicly available data recorded by various operators in the electricity and natural gas markets have been meticulously analyzed and reviewed from a statistical-mathematical perspective. The study investigates the implications of the rising prices of electricity and natural gas, as well as the measures taken by the Spanish Government in June 2022. Furthermore, it is essential to consider that in 2022, several anomalous factors occurred, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Spanish market intervention resulting from the price increases, suggesting a different market behavior. The primary conclusion drawn from the analysis of the published data is that the high prices in 2022 can be attributed not solely to the high prices of natural gas, as indicated in the media. This will be elaborated upon throughout this study. Key Words: Gas Cap Adjustment Mechanism, Massive Consumption of natural gas and exports of electricity in 2022. Correlation between OMIE and MIBGAS.

Fuel Subsidy Removal and Macroeconomic Performance in Nigeria

The government of Nigeria removed fuel subsidy on the premise that fuel subsidy is a drain on government finances, causes macroeconomic instability, and generates adverse social welfare in the country. The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of fuel subsidy removal on macroeconomic performance in Nigeria. The paper adopts a desk review method and obtains secondary data from the documents of reputable organizations such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. Descriptive statistics was employed for the analysis of data. The study found out that the removal of fuel subsidy resulted in the increase of premium motor spirit price across the country generating inflationary trend. It improved revenue generation for government expenditure, curtailed cross border smuggling and corruption inherent in the downstream sector of the petroleum sector. It was based on these findings that the paper recommends a proper coordination of the fiscal policies and the Central Bank of Nigeria to effectively manage the macroeconomic effect of the subsidy removal. It is also important for the government to develop an effective communication strategy to engage stakeholders on the necessity for the subsidy removal and put in place an effective palliative measure to alleviate the attendant adverse conditions that it generated.

Price Effects of Horizontal Mergers: A Retrospective on Retrospectives

Abstract This comprehensive review of ex post merger studies assesses the price effects of horizontal transactions to determine whether there are common post-merger price effects, both overall and in specific markets. The aim is to derive implications for policy makers and competition authorities in terms of effective merger enforcement and competition policy. By combining and further analysing the results of 52 retrospective studies on 82 mergers or horizontal transactions, it can be shown that the sector in which the respective transaction takes place alone is not a strong indicator of the direction of price-related merger effects. In contrast, the ‘size’ or ‘importance’ of a transaction as well as market concentration seem to be correlated with post-transaction price increases, especially in already highly concentrated markets. Overall, this meta-study shows the importance of ex post case studies for improving ex ante merger control: although generalizations can only be made with caution, the subsequent analysis of a case and its ex post observable outcome can provide useful information for future merger enforcement in general, either in the same industry and/or with similar case characteristics, as well as for competition policy regulators.

Equity implications of tobacco taxation: results from WHO FCTC investment cases

BackgroundAcross time, geographies and country income levels, smoking prevalence is highest among people with lower incomes. Smoking causes further impoverishment of those on the lower end of the income spectrum...

The introduction of legume-based crop rotations: an impact assessment on cereal cropping farms in Finland

ABSTRACT Grain legume production offers multiple environmental benefits and can enhance the sustainability of farming, but the legume area has been small and declining over the last decades in most European countries. Recently, grain legumes have gained importance because of the increases in prices of feed and food proteins, fertilizers and fuel, in addition to sustainability concerns. This study investigated the impacts of introducing grain legumes [faba beans (Vicia faba L.)] in cereal-dominated crop production systems typical for southwestern Finland. To investigate the economic effects as well as the effect grain legumes have on production and land use a dynamic optimization model was used. The results suggest significant crop yield gains if farmers consistently utilize the pre-crop value of legumes and other crops in crop rotations over several years. The farm economic gains of diversified legume rotations were found to be positive but relatively small assuming past prices, but they can be significantly higher if legume and nitrogen fertilizer prices increase in the future. Overall, faba bean-based rotations have positive long-term implications on soil quality and biodiversity and thus future viability and societal reputation of farming.

Availability and saccharification of starchy biowastes for bioethanol production in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

AbstractBioenergy has received a great interest because of increase in oil price, rapid depletion of fossil fuels, global climate change, and environmental pollution. However, cheap, and fermentable sugar-rich substrates represent a challenge that face production of biofuel on commercial scale. Therefore, this study offers a reliable solution for sustainability of biofuel production by recycling cheap resource (starchy biowaste) that is abundant in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). To achieve the goal of this study, we applied different hydrolysis protocols to obtain a high quantity of fermentable sugars from starchy biowaste collected from restaurants as meal leftover. The results approved that starchy biowastes are abundant in the KSA; with the size of the residue per meal ranging from 149 to 5218 g, and starchy materials, mostly waste rice (WR), representing 72.5%. The saccharification of thermochemically pre-treated WR, carried out using an α-amylase and glucoamylase mixture for 4 h, was the most effective technique amongst all the pre-treatment methods, and produced the highest glucose concentration, i.e. 430.6 g/kg WR. Among five yeast isolates that were tested for their ability to produce ethanol from pre-treated WR via fermentation, Kluyveromyces marxianus KKU-RDI-11 and Pichia kudriavzevii KKU-RDI-18 produced the highest bioethanol concentrations, i.e. 15.44 g/L and 15.62 g/L, respectively. This study recommends application of our technique and the fermentative yeasts on the industrial and commercial scale in KSA, for production of biofuel and recycling of starchy waste materials from restaurants.

An optimal decision for fresh products' cold chain considering freshness and carbon emission reduction

PurposeThe aim of this study was to analyze the effects of carbon reduction efforts and preservation efforts on system benefits in the cold chain industry of fresh products.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops an optimal decision game model for the fresh products in the cold chain, incorporating the retailer's preservation effort and the supplier's carbon emission reduction effort. It quantifies the relationship between carbon emission reduction effort, preservation effort and system profit. The model considers parameters like carbon trading price, consumer low-carbon preference and consumer freshness preference, reflecting real-world conditions and market trends. Numerical simulations are conducted by varying these parameters to observe their impact on system profit.FindingsUnder the carbon cap-and-trade policy, the profit of the fresh cold chain system is higher than that of the fresh cold chain system without carbon constraints, and the profit of the supplier under decentralized decision-making is increased by nine times in the simulation results. The increase in carbon trading prices can effectively improve the freshness level of fresh products cold chain, carbon emission reduction level and system profit.Originality/valueThis study comprehensively considers the factors of freshness and carbon emission reduction, provides the optimal low-carbon production decision-making reference for the fresh food cold chain and promotes the sustainable development of the fresh food cold chain.

Design and Construct of a Portable Solar Mobile Charger

Abstract: The state of incessant power failure accompanied with the increase in pump price of petroleum in India, solar energy becomes the most sought after energy source. Solar chargers are simple, portable and ready to use devices which can be used by anyone especially in remote areas. Going solar can solve the problems of dependence on fuels and the prevalent energy crisis. This project aims to make a portable solar charger which can be used on the go. A portable solar mobile phone charger is simply a power electronic device that converts solar radiation into electrical current for the purpose of charging the batteries of mobile phones. This charger is made by converting, controlling and conditioning the flow of electrical energy from source to load according to the requirements. of the load; this technology is called power electronics. An external adjustable voltage regulator is used to obtain the desired constant voltage. A zener diode switches on to ensure charging is cut off at the saturation point. Two 3.7V lithium ion batteries are used as backup; an operational amplifier works here as a comparator to signify when backup is fully charged. Ultimately, 11V and 160mA is supplied by the panel under full sunlight. This charger has an output voltage of 5V and an average of 800mA current to charge a mobile phone, this system charges a phone fully between 4-5hours and it has a capacity of 4800mAh. This device charges all mobile phones by all manufacturers using a universal serial bus connector. It is the only viable solution to charging mobile phones as it is portable, light-weight and does not cause pollution

House Price Prediction using Machine Learning

Machine Learning plays a virtual role from past years in normal speech command, product recommendation. This all of things shows that ML is trending technology in almost all fields so we are trying to coined up ML in our project. Nowadays the real estate market is a standout amongst the most focused regarding pricing and keep fluctuating. People are looking to buy a new home with their budgets and by analyzing market strategies. But main disadvantage of current system is to calculate a price of house without necessary prediction about future market trends and result is price increase. So, the main aim of our project is to predict accurate price of house without any loss. There are many factors that have to be taken into consideration for predicting house price and try to predict efficient house pricing for customers with respect to their budget as well as also according to their priorities. So, we are creating a housing cost prediction model. By using Machine learning algorithms like Linear Regression. This model will help people to put resources into a bequest without moving towards a broker. The result of this research gives maximum accuracy.

An Analysis of the Wool Characteristics That Determine the Wool Price for White Wool in South Africa

This study evaluates the effects of white wool's characteristics (fibre diameter/fineness, staple strength, vegetable matter, and staple length) that contribute to determining the wool price in South Africa. The analysis was based on wool price data for the 2009 to 2019 production seasons. A multiple regression analysis of the price (R/kg) of White wool was applied to four independent variables: fibre diameter/fineness, staple strength, vegetable matter and staple length. Fibre diameter, staple length and clean yield, except vegetable matter, made a significant contribution (p < 0.05) to the determination of wool price after all other independent variables were controlled. A one-unit increase in staple length was associated with a 0.018-unit increase in wool price (R/kg). One unit (micron) increase in fibre diameter/fineness resulted in a 0.331 unit decrease in wool price (R/kg). One unit (percentage) increase in clean yield resulted in a 0.115 unit increase in wool price (R/kg). The analysis found that a 1% increase in clean yield, a measure of the amount of clean, usable wool produced by a sheep, was associated with an average increase of 0.115 R/kg in the price of wool. This means that as clean yield increases, wool price tends to increase. Clean yield varies within sheep flocks due to varying amounts of wax and contaminants such as vegetable matter dirt, breed of sheep, and the environmental conditions during wool growth. There was no statistically significant association between vegetable matter and wool price. Wool farmers need to produce wool with low fibre diameter, good length of wool and high clean yield percentage for White wool. Additionally, farmers should focus on improving their production and marketing practices, and policymakers should consider implementing policies that support the wool industry and increase its competitiveness.

The complexity analysis of decision-making for horizontal fresh supply chains under a trade-off between fresh-keeping and carbon emission reduction

This study primarily focuses on the impact of carbon emissions generated during the fresh product fresh-keeping process on the traditional fresh supply chain (FSC1) and the low-carbon fresh supply chain with emission reduction behavior (FSC2). Its objective is to investigate how these supply chains dynamically adjust the production quantity, fresh-keeping level, and emission reduction level of fresh products when constrained by the dual-carbon policy. The decision competition model between the two supply chains was explored under two scenarios: the horizontal Nash (HN) game and the long-term Stackelberg (LS) game, wherein FSC1 assumes the role of the leader. The findings indicate that as the carbon tax and carbon trading price increase, the fresh supply chain tends to decrease fresh-keeping intensity while increasing investment in emission reduction. Carbon emissions generated during the fresh product fresh-keeping process have a smaller impact on FSC2's profit than on FSC1, and FSC2 exhibits stronger adaptability under the dual-carbon policy. Irrespective of the game structure, if the adjustment speed of FSC1's production decision exceeds the stable range, its own profit will decrease while the other party's profit will increase. However, if the adjustment speed of FSC2's production decision surpasses the stable range, it will lead to a decrease in profits for both sides. Interestingly, in the LS game, when the adjustment speed of FSC1's production decision exceeds the stable range, FSC1 demonstrates a leader advantage and experiences a rapid increase in profit as the adjustment speed of FSC2's production decision increases, this phenomenon suggests that in the LS game, the leader prevails amidst market chaos.

Assessing Consumer Implications of Reduced Salmon Supply and Environmental Impact in North America

This study investigates the impact of the Canadian government’s decision to reduce the supply of farm-raised salmon in British Columbia (BC) on domestic prices, the level of imports, and the environment. By drawing upon data from diverse sources, this study employs the SARIMAX model to forecast future trends in salmon prices up to 2026. The forecasted results reveal that retail salmon prices will exhibit greater unpredictability and a predicted price increase of over CAD 30 per kilogram by 2026. In addition, increased consumption of imported salmon due to BC farm closure is expected to contribute to heightened carbon emissions and result in job losses within rural and indigenous communities. In short, BC salmon farm closure carries profound consequences for both the environment and market dynamics.

Does monetary policy contribute to housing price booms? Empirical evidence from the US economy

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of monetary policy on housing prices for US economy. It specifically examines whether nominal or real interest rates are the key drivers behind fluctuations in housing prices in US. Design/methodology/approach Monthly data from January 1991 to July 2023 and various appropriate analytical tools such as unit root tests, Johansen’s cointegration test, vector error correction model (VECM), impulse response function and Granger causality test were applied for the data analysis. Findings The Johansen cointegration findings reveal the presence of a long-term relationship among the variables. VECM results indicate a negative correlation between nominal and real interest rates and housing prices in both the short and long terms, suggesting that a strict monetary policy can help in controlling the housing price increase in the USA. However, housing prices are more responsive to changes in nominal interest rates than to real interest rates. Additionally, the study reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the upsurge in housing prices in the USA. Originality/value This study contributes by examining the role that nominal or real interest rates play in shaping housing prices in the USA. Moreover, given the recent significant upsurge in housing prices, this study presents a unique opportunity to investigate whether these price increases are influenced by the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions regarding nominal or real interest rates. Additionally, using monthly data, this study provides a deeper understanding of the fluctuations in housing prices and their connection to monetary policy tools.

Financial Analysis of The Anchovies Purse Seiner Vesel Bisuness Based in Larangan Coastal Fishing Port Tegal Regency

The Larangan Coastal Fishing Port (Larangan CFP) is the only fishing port in the administrative area of Tegal Regency, as a quite productive fish landing center and is the catch of fishermen operating in the coastal watiers of Tegal with anchovy main commodity. Because it is one of the fishing tools of the fishing community which is classified as productive and is based in the Larangan CFP. is the type of anchovies surrounding net (purse seine) In this study, 8 units of purse seiners were selected using light capture device (lamp) as samples, using case study and observation/interview metods and financial analysis which include; Profit and Loss, Payback Period, B/C Ratio, BEP, NPV, IRR and Swiching Value. From the calculation results of the economic (financial) analysis of fishing activities with purse seine anchovies based at the Larangan CFP, Tegal Regency is general can be categorized as feasible, because all business feasibility indicators are still above the required criteria as a feasible business activity to run. The avarage value of each of these indicators is; Paybac Period (4.4 years or 4 years 3 months), Break Even Point (Rp.202,168,749), B/C Ratio (1.24), NPV (Rp.325,474,008), and IRR (22%). Then the replacement value (Switching Value) also still sows a business that is feasible continuimg with an average B/C Ratio of 1.20 and a Payback Period of 5.2 years with the analysis of two scenarios of each situation; 3% for a decrease in production value, and 3.5% for an increase in input prices.

Oil and Food Price Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: A Non-Linear ARDL Approach

Abstract This paper analyzes the relationship between food and oil prices in Nigeria before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using monthly data from January 2018 to December 2021. The ARDL and NARDL models are applied to estimate the symmetry and asymmetric relationship that exists in food price behavior. The NARDL confirms the presence of asymmetries, and the bound test affirms the co-integration and long-run relationship among the variables. In the long run, there is a significant positive relation between oil price increases and food prices, but the long-run impact of oil price reductions on food prices is not significant. In the short run, only increases in oil prices exert a significant influence on food prices, while decreases in oil prices do not. Furthermore, the COVID-19 period exerts a positive and significant impact on food prices, while COVID-19 cases do not influence food prices in Nigeria.

Taxing ride‐sharing: Which neighborhoods pay more?

AbstractI examine the short‐run impact of taxing ride‐sharing trips on the price and usage of ride‐sharing across different neighborhoods of Chicago and investigate whether the tax had unequal effects on neighborhoods with different racial compositions. I document significant heterogeneity in price increases due to the tax across neighborhoods of departure, showing that this was correlated with their differential access to alternatives to ride‐sharing, such as public transit. Clustering neighborhoods based on their racial composition reveals that Black areas experienced particularly high price increases and reductions in usage. Overall, the burden of the tax fell more heavily on minority‐concentrated areas.

Before political economy: debate over grain markets, dearth and pauperism in England, 1794–96

ABSTRACT During the 1790s Britain experienced a series of poor harvests which, given an expanding population and wartime disruption to the European grain trade, caused sudden and rapid increases in the domestic price of wheat. In modern discussion of Corn and Poor Laws the severity of these fluctuations has been obscured by the use of annual average grain prices, despite weekly county prices being available from 1771 as published in the London Gazette. We highlight the uncertainties of grain prices during the period 1794-96, drawing upon contemporary discussion published in the Annals of Agriculture of the problems arising from fluctuations in the price of wheat. Our purpose is to demonstrate that the tropes usually today associated with the Corn and Poor Laws – pauperism, a clash between merchant, manufacturing and landlord interests, population and impoverishment – are absent from discussion during this period. A doctrinaire “political economy” would develop in the early 1800s, but did not yet exist. Policy argument drew upon casuistic reasoning from circumstance and past experience. We also show in conclusion that Edmund Burke’s Thoughts and Details on Scarcity cannot be linked to “political economy”.

Vegan grade medium component screening and concentration optimization for the fermentation of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502® using Design of Experiments.

Lactobacillus paracasei IMC502® is a commercially successful probiotic strain, however, there are no reports that investigate growth medium composition in relation to improved biomass production for this strain. The major outcome of the present study is the design and optimization of a growth medium based on vegan components to be used in the cultivation of Lactobacillus paracasei IMC502®, by using Design of Experiments (DoE). Besides comparing different carbon sources, the use of plant-based peptones as nitrogen sources was considered. In particular, the use of guar peptone as the main nitrogen source, in the optimization of fermentation media for the production of probiotics, could replace other plant peptones (e.g. potato, rice, wheat and soy) which are part of the human diet, thereby avoiding an increase in product and process prices. A model with R2 and adjusted R2 values higher than 95% was obtained. Model accuracy was equal to 94.11%. The vegan-optimized culture medium described in this study increased biomass production by about 65% compared to growth on De Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) medium. Moreover, this approach showed that most of the salts and trace elements generally present in MRS are not affecting biomass production, thus a simplified medium preparation can be proposed with higher probiotic biomass yield and titer. The possibility to obtain viable lactic acid bacteria at high density from vegetable derived nutrients will be of great interest for specific consumer communities, opening the way to follow this approach with other probiotics of impact for human health.

Consumer Perceptions of the Canadian Salmon Sector and Their Associations with Behaviors: A Perspective from Indigenous Rights

Previous studies on consumer perceptions and behaviors of salmon have often neglected Indigenous rights within the Canadian salmon sector. This study innovatively addresses this gap by integrating Indigenous rights into the current analysis, alongside considerations of sustainability practices, socio-economic impacts, and consumer motivations. Our research objectives aim to fit three consumer perceptions—environmental sustainability, economic considerations, and Indigenous rights—and to evaluate their associations, alongside perception of a price increase, socio-demographics, and consumer motivation factors, with purchasing behaviors related to Canadian salmon products. Data for this study was collected from a nationwide online survey. Responses to Question 2 and Question 35 are encoded with numerical values ranging from 1 to 5, where larger numbers indicate stronger agreement with the statement. The inclusion of methodologies such as the Graded Response Model (GRM) and Cumulative Link Models (CLM) adds another innovative dimension to this study. Our findings demonstrate how consumer profiles are associated with these four perceptions and their underlying determinants. Furthermore, the study quantifies the influence of these four perceptions on each consumer purchase behavior. The implications of these findings extend to the realm of mathematical modeling in consumer decision-making processes, offering practical insights for businesses and marketers, and emphasizing the importance of implementing regulatory frameworks and initiatives that promote sustainability, safeguard Indigenous rights, and address socio-economic disparities.