6 ms·

So, basically, there are price assymmetries (BLS sticker price data), but consumers adjust the mix of cuts of beef they buy in favor of cheaper cuts (scanner da

So, basically, there are price assymmetries (BLS sticker price data), but consumers adjust the mix of cuts of beef they buy in favor of cheaper cuts (scanner data) so the overall effect is to produce something that looks like symmetry?

bachmeier 3y ago
That's right. It matters if you're talking about "price" as the price on the product or the price consumers pay.
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  How does product substitution work in practice given that a cow has fixed anatomy? If a farm price shock leads to a BLS sticker price increase, but consumers buy $10 of chuck instead of $10 filet mignon, where do the filets go? If price transfers are symmetric, does this mean there is a time after the same shock where customers are substituting the inverse? Presumably the meat packers can't hold the filets in inventory indefinitely
  - bachmeier 3y ago
    I asked my coauthors this question when they asked me to join. Consumer beef purchases are only one of the markets. If there's a reduction in the amount of beef on the market, that might be absorbed at the high end by consumers, so that others (particularly restaurants) continue to get the good cuts. Consumers substitute into product that would otherwise be used for something like hot dogs.
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      That's a fascinating and complex system. That suggests that restaurant consumption is relatively fixed as well but quality of cut is flexible at the lower margin. I wonder if there's any way to analyze the whole picture. I suppose that would require insight into the total sales of processors, which may or may not be proprietary
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      That's a fascinating and complex system. That suggests that restaurant consumption is relatively fixed as well but quality of cut is flexible at the lower margin. I wonder if there's any way to analyze the whole picture. I suppose that would require insight into the total sales of processors, which may or may not be proprietary. I also wonder if the quality adjusted analysis for Consumer consumption would show a different price sensitivity to shock for high-end cuts in the market

bachmeier 3y ago

That's right. It matters if you're talking about "price" as the price on the product or the price consumers pay.

s1artibartfast 3y ago
How does product substitution work in practice given that a cow has fixed anatomy? If a farm price shock leads to a BLS sticker price increase, but consumers buy $10 of chuck instead of $10 filet mignon, where do the filets go? If price transfers are symmetric, does this mean there is a time after the same shock where customers are substituting the inverse? Presumably the meat packers can't hold the filets in inventory indefinitely
- bachmeier 3y ago
  I asked my coauthors this question when they asked me to join. Consumer beef purchases are only one of the markets. If there's a reduction in the amount of beef on the market, that might be absorbed at the high end by consumers, so that others (particularly restaurants) continue to get the good cuts. Consumers substitute into product that would otherwise be used for something like hot dogs.
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    That's a fascinating and complex system. That suggests that restaurant consumption is relatively fixed as well but quality of cut is flexible at the lower margin. I wonder if there's any way to analyze the whole picture. I suppose that would require insight into the total sales of processors, which may or may not be proprietary
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    That's a fascinating and complex system. That suggests that restaurant consumption is relatively fixed as well but quality of cut is flexible at the lower margin. I wonder if there's any way to analyze the whole picture. I suppose that would require insight into the total sales of processors, which may or may not be proprietary. I also wonder if the quality adjusted analysis for Consumer consumption would show a different price sensitivity to shock for high-end cuts in the market