Price discovery and volatility spillover in spot and futures markets: evidences from steel-related commodities in China

The price discovery and spillover effect are significant indicators in futures markets. This study examines the price discovery and spillover effects using vector error correction model and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic for seven types of steel products in Chinese spot and futures markets. The results show that the price discovery exists in all of steel futures market. It is also confirmed that futures prices in all items are mainly leading spot prices via permanent-transitory and information share. In the results of spillover effects, it is found that wire rod, coking coal, coke and silico-manganese have the effects between spot and futures market. In rebar market, there is the spillover effect from spot to futures. This information about futures prices can help the market participants to make decisions when they predict the spot prices.     

Impact of state-dependent oil price on US stock returns using local projections

In this paper, we investigate the impact of oil prices on both aggregate and industry US real stock returns over the period 1973–2017. The empirical analysis contributes to the related literature introducing a state-dependent oil price (high and low) and the local projections approach. Our main finding is that, depending on the nature of the shock and industry, the negative effects of oil price shocks become exacerbated -and the positive effects get moderated- if oil prices are already high.     

Ticket prices and revenue levels of tourist attractions in China: Spatial differentiation between prefectural units

Ticket pricing is a key issue for tourism research in China. Owing to regional differences, a unified nationwide price reduction strategy for tourist attractions would be inappropriate for China. To assist in regional ticket pricing decisions, this study uses ArcGIS spatial analysis methods to analyze the spatial differentiation of ticket prices and revenue levels between prefectural units, using 2017 data from 9450 A-grade tourist attractions. The results reveal prominent characteristics of spatial differentiation in tourist attractions’ average ticket prices, as well as in the proportion of their revenue from ticket sales, between prefectural units. Ticket prices are generally low in north China and high in south China; meanwhile, the proportion of ticket revenue is generally high in east China and low in west China. The factors influencing such spatial differentiation are tourism resources, local socio-economic conditions, and the management of tourist attractions. The findings help stakeholders to make differentiation strategy.     

The capital market spillover effect of product market advertising: Evidence from stock price synchronicity

We analyze whether product market advertising has a spillover effect on stock price synchronicity by transmitting firm-specific information to the capital market and attracting more investor attention. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2017, we find that firms with greater advertising expenditures have lower stock price synchronicity. The results are robust after we address endogeneity concerns. In accord with our hypothesis that product market advertising increases the amount of firm-level information capitalized into stock prices through the information channel, we find that the impact of advertising on synchronicity is more pronounced for firms with a higher degree of information asymmetry and firms in the consumer-product industry. Further tests show that product market advertising enhances the ability of current period returns to reflect future earnings, and thus rules out that the negative relationship between advertising and synchronicity is driven by noise trading. Our results imply that product market advertising plays an informative role and improves information efficiency in a capital market.     

苏北地区农业完全成本水价农户承受力调查——基于水源地生态补偿的视角

南水北调东线一期工程江苏段的主要目标是向苏北供水,缓解该地区的农业用水短缺问题。但现行农业水价未考虑水源区的机会成本损失,不利于调动水源区环境保护积极性。论文设计单边界CVM引导技术,估算了苏北农户以提高农业水价的方式对水源区生态补偿的支付意愿。研究发现,苏北农户生态补偿支付意愿为7.63元/亩,但在不同作物种植结构和不同城市存在较大异质性。未来3年内,苏北农业用水每年所提供的生态补偿资金总额在1.526~1.679亿元之间。在发达地区探索构建绿色导向的农业水价体系有利于为其他地区提供先行示范效应。     

Understanding the drivers of organic foods purchasing of millennials: Evidence from Brazil and Spain

This paper examines the antecedents of millennials' organic food purchasing. A conceptual framework, based on product characteristics, and consumers' concerns and consciousness, is proposed. Data collection was conducted through a survey in two culturally and socioeconomically distinct countries (Brazil vs. Spain) to increase the robustness and generalizability of the results. The results show that product characteristics and consumer concerns improve millennials’ health consciousness and increase their social consciousness, which, in turn, increase their willingness to pay a price premium and their purchase frequency of organic foods. The findings show that the proposed model has high validity, with only one significant difference between the two countries. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.     

Is showrooming really so terrible? start understanding showroomers

The customer journey is more omni-channel than ever. In this scenario, so-called showrooming behavior emerges as a growing trend that is usually considered by retailers as a threat. The purpose of this research is to analyze whether showrooming, when compared with online buying behavior in which the customer does not visit the store prior to the purchase, has a positive effect on the price paid online by the customer. The empirical research is based on the database compiled by GfK, which contains detailed information about the shopping journey of 4067 customers who purchased products from different retail sectors. The results, derived from the estimation of several regression models, reveal that showroomers who use their smartphones in store are more likely to purchase products at a higher price, which explains why these customers can be of special interest to retailers.     

Real estate prices and systemic banking crises

The collapse of real estate prices has historically jeopardized banking stability and triggered systemic banking crises. This paper studies risk contagion in a banking system in real estate price shock by adopting complex network theory. Modelling the real estate-related asset as a common exposure of banks to the real estate market, we propose a model that incorporates two main risk contagion channels, i.e., the financial network and asset fire sales, and reveal how the real estate price shock is transmitted and propagated across banks. We demonstrate that banking stability is highly sensitive to the real estate price shock. Moreover, due to the particularly low liquidity of the real estate market, the asset fire-sales of real estate assets overwhelms the financial network, playing the dominant role in risk contagion. Our model can be adopted by regulators to conduct stress testing and to forge effective risk management strategies.     

Shrouding Add‐On Information: An Experimental Study*

We explore how increased competition affects firms’ obfuscation strategies in a laboratory experiment. Firms sell a base good and an add‐on product. Besides choosing the base‐good price, sellers take an action that mimics the effects of shrouding the add‐on product. Shrouding is an equilibrium but an unshrouding equilibrium coexists. In our experiment, more competition matters, in that only duopolistic markets are frequently shrouded whereas four‐firm markets are not. With repeated interaction, shrouding rates do not increase. However, the opportunities to shroud facilitate tacit collusion on the base‐good price for the duopolies: the unshrouding equilibrium serves as a credible punishment if deviations occur.