Posts Tagged ‘oil’

The Winner’s Curse: An Economic Anomaly

May 27, 2013 Leave a comment





Not so fast



Supply and Demand in Depth

May 16, 2013 1 comment

The law of supply and demand is a theory explaining the interaction between the supply of a resource and the demand for that resource. The law of supply states that at higher prices, producers are willing to offer more products for sale than at lower prices. It also recognizes that the supply increases as price increases, and decreases as price decreases. Furthermore, it declares that those already in business will try to increase productions as a way of increasing profits. The law of demand says that people will buy more of a product at a lower price than at a higher price, if nothing changes. It additionally states that at a lower price, goods are more affordable and people can, and will, buy them more frequently. Lastly, the law of demand states that at lower prices, people tend to buy less expensive goods as substitutes for more expensive versions; this is also known in economics as the substitution effect. The law of supply and demand presents the effect that the availability of a particular product and the desire (demand) for that product has on price. If there is low supply and a high demand, the price will be high for that good. In contrast, the greater the supply and the lower the demand, the lower the price will be.

An example of the law of supply and demand is the price of oil. According to an article from MPR dated May 16 of this year,

Image“The price of oil has been dropping and the law of supply and demand has boosted gasoline prices to record levels.” The raised price of gasoline, partially caused by the “temporary” shut down of two oil refineries in Illinois, comes from a supply problem. The Chicago Daily Herald explains that “if the price goes up in China, we export our oil. It helps make us richer as a nation but the price goes up and we pay a lot more.” Although we pay more for gas because of this, the bottom line is that there is more money to be made by sending oil overseas. Furthermore, the exporting of oil is what is creating the supply issue. In another article, “U.S Oil Boom to Help Meet New Global Demand” by CNBC, the IEA states that “the shockwaves of rising U.S shale gas and light tight oil and Canadian oil sands production are reaching virtually all recesses of the global oil market.” Despite the high gas prices, the global oil demand is expected to rise 8 percent between 2012 and 2018, further raising the already elevated gas prices. Because America is a growing industrial economy, the rate of oil consumption rises simultaneously with the rate of industrial progression in our economy. New discoveries and improving technologies have increased the amount of oil that can be produced. This innovation could present the idea that it may indirectly raise the prices of gas yet again. Because more oil can be extracted at once, business could use more oil at once, therefore decreasing the supply of oil. However, an article by Floyd Norris of the New York Times states that although demand for oil is rising, “American consumption of oil is expected to be as much as one-third less than it was the last year,” by 2035. This predicted decline of oil consumption depends on how much conservation is encouraged in the years to come. The article goes on to say that the U.S promises include “increasing fuel economy in cars and trucks and at least a small increase in the use of natural gas to fuel trucks.” Furthermore, according to the IEA, if these promises are kept, “oil prices in real terms are likely to be only a little higher than they are now,” but if current policies are continued we will not be so lucky (gas prices would continue to rise rapidly).

In conclusion, the law of supply and demand plays a major role in our economy. It is the strength of a market economy. Because economics is based on the idea that people make choices by comparing the benefits of each option and choosing the most beneficial, the law of supply and demand is a necessary element in determining the price that an item should be. Goods that have a high demand are goods that people believe are the most beneficial options. However, the goods that appear most beneficial may become less beneficial if the demand of them becomes excessive. If there is excess demand of a good, the price of that good is then raised, motivating people to substitute that good for a less expensive option. This less expensive option then becomes the more beneficial one because of scarcity (people wanting more goods than are available) and because of the substitution effect. The law of supply and demand assists the understanding of basic economic ideas and is a crucial theory.


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