Do we have effective competition between the gasoline's big five oligopolists (Aral, Shell, Esso, Total and Jet) and fringe gasoline stations? Using 2014 Market Transparency price data from 66 cities with populations between 60,000 and 100,000, we analyze which brands lead price increases, the...

Wettbewerbspolitisch stellt sich die Frage, ob im 5er-Oligopol mit Aral, Shell, Esso, Total und Jet Binnenwettbewerb fehlt und ob dieses Oligopol wirksam Außenseiterwettbewerb ausgesetzt ist. Nach neuartigen Daten für vier Metropolen aus 2014, die auf die Marktransparenzstelle zurückgehen,...

Wettbewerbspolitisch stellt sich die Frage, ob im 5er-Oligopol mit Aral, Shell, Esso, Total und Jet Binnenwettbewerb fehlt und ob dieses Oligopol wirksam Außenseiterwettbewerb ausgesetzt ist. Nach neuartigen Daten für vier Metropolen aus 2014, die auf die Marktransparenzstelle zurückgehen,...

We study the pricing decision of firms in the presence of consumer inertia. Inertia can arise from habit formation, brand loyalty, switching costs, or search, and it has important implications for the interpretation of equilibrium outcomes and counterfactual analysis. In particular, consumer...

We provide a framework for empirical analysis of negotiated-price markets. Using mortgage market data and a search and negotiation model, we characterize the welfare impact of search frictions and quantify the role of search costs and brand loyalty for market power. Search frictions reduce...

There is a discrepancy between Europe and the United States on whether margin squeeze is a relevant question for competition law and policy. Beyond this question, it is unclear whether law and the Cartel Office can detect margin squeeze, assuming it is necessary to look into the matter. In...

Exploiting exogenous variation in retail fuel prices from a temporary fuel tax discount in Germany, we estimate how the pass-through of the discount varies over space and time. We draw on daily gasoline prices of virtually all gas stations in Germany and neighboring France, with France serving...

Exploiting exogenous variation in retail fuel prices from a temporary fuel tax discount in Germany, we estimate how the pass-through of the discount varies over space and time. We draw on daily gasoline prices of virtually all gas stations in Germany and neighboring France, with France serving...

Competition in the German gasoline retail market is characterized by strong intraday price cycles. The cycles are described in the literature as corresponding to the well-known Edgeworth cycles. Cyclical pricing patterns are observable all over Germany and throughout the world. So far, research...

Tacit collusion reduces welfare comparably to explicit collusion but remains mostly unaddressed by antitrust enforcement which greatly depends on evidence of explicit communication. We propose to target specific elements of firms’ behavior that facilitate tacit collusion by providing...