Seit einiger Zeit gibt es eine sehr intensive Diskussion über die Wirkungen von Spekulationen mit Rohstoffen, insbesondere Agrarrohstoffen. Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht dies auf der Basis des aktuellen Forschungsstands. Zahlreiche Studien zeigen, dass sich mit Hilfe der Ökonometrie weder...

In der Juniausgabe 2015 veröffentlichte der Wirtschaftsdienst einen Aufsatz von Christian A. Conrad über "Die Auswirkungen der Spekulation mit Nahrungsmitteln und Rohstoffen". Nach einer Replik von Ingo Pies hierzu eine Erwiderung von Christian A. Conrad.

In this study, we report on the current state of the international market for crude oil. The market data we analyzed indicate that competition has intensified as a result of the now firmly-established shale oil extraction industry in the U.S. Model-based simulations also show that supply-side...

This dissertation was written by Johannes Pfeiffer while he was working with the ifo Institute for Economic Research. It was completed in November 2016 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the department of economics of the University Regensburg in December 2016. The thesis studies unintended...

We show that OPEC’s market power contributes to global warming by enabling producers of relatively expensive and dirty oil to start producing before OPEC reserves are depleted. We fully characterize the equilibrium of a cartel-fringe model and use a calibration to examine the importance of...

It is widely understood that the real price of globally traded commodities is determined by the forces of demand and supply. One of the main determinants of the real price of commodities is shifts in the demand for commodities associated with unexpected fluctuations in global real economic...

The Chinese housing market has grown rapidly following its liberalization in the 1990s, generating significant economic activity and demand for base metals. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of the Chinese housing market and quantify its importance for the overall Chinese economy and its...

The growth in variable renewable energy (vRES) and the need for flexibility in power systems go hand in hand. We study how vRES and other factors, namely the price of substitute fuels, power price volatility, structural breaks, and seasonality impact the hedgeable power spreads (profit margins)...

This study examines the utilization of iron ore in India. It takes into account thesignificant reserves of iron ore in India and allays fears that the country's steel industrywill run out of iron ore resources if exports continue at the current level. On the contrary,it says that exports are...

The global crude oil market has gone through two important phases over the recent years. The first one was the price collapse that started in the third quarter of 2014 and continued until mid-2016. The second phase occurred in late 2016, after major producers within and outside OPEC agreed to...