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The equilibrium price of coffee mugs rose sharply last month, but the equilibrium quantity was the same as ever. Three people tried to explain this situation. Which explanations could be right? Explain your logic.

Billy: Demand increased, but supply was totally inelastic.

Marian: Supply increased, but so did demand.

Valerie: Supply decreased, but demand was totally inelastic.

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Related questions

In the early part of the last decade, there was an overproductionof coffee. The price dropped so low that producers' costs werehigher than the market price. The reason this happened was thatmarket prices became high before this, and the supply of coffeeincreased substantially. In the meantime, demand for coffee andeverything else remained the same. Price Level 1.

Coffee prices came down again, at first overshooting the formerequilibrium price, throwing the coffee market into confusion. Inthe meantime, gourmet coffee houses began appearing, which begancharging a premium for coffee in the period of falling prices.Price Level 2.

Gourmet coffee houses tend to open in high-rent areas and cater tohigher income consumers. Because of the change they created fortaste and preferences and the higher income market, the gourmetcoffee houses had a win-win in a period of falling wholesale pricesand increasing retail prices. Price Level 3.

But in the middle of the decade, the party was over, and wholesaleprices started increasing because of some shortages caused byweather and the rising overall market prices again. Where is thenew equilibrium price? Price Level 4.

Explain the changes in the supply and demand curves based on theabove information. Draw a graph showing how the changes affect theprice levels, supply and demand.

Scenario Two

You have been asked to discuss the differences between themicroeconomic definitions of supply and demand and themacroeconomic differences of aggregate supply and demand. Discusswhat determines supply and demand and aggregate supply andaggregate demand. Explain what causes movements along the curve andshifts in the curve for supply and demand and aggregate supply andaggregate demand (make sure that you include price as a variable).Include whether this is an example of the microeconomic definitionof supply and demand or the macroeconomic definition of aggregatesupply and demand. Most importantly, did this cause a shift in thecurves or a movement along the curves? What happened to equilibriumprice, supply, demand, aggregate supply or aggregate demand?Describe your graphs.

After Hurricane Katrina, what happened to the price of fish?
After the development of the microchip, what happened to the priceof computers?
After the government raised tariffs on imported cheese, whathappened to the price of domestic cheese?
Polyester suits have become trendy again. What happens to theirprice?
Internet auction sites are becoming more popular, and people areusing them more and more.
An new health report came out that said red wine lowerscholesterol.
The government raises taxes.
Inflation increases.
Immigration laws are relaxed.
The government increases spending.
Scenario Three

The PPF curve shows the economic choices a country can make aboutproduction given scarce resources, a given technology, and a givenquantity of inputs. Assume you are a developing country, producingfood and clothing at maximum capacity. What could happen whenforeign investors start investing in your country?

Discuss what type of foreign investments would be best for theeconomy

1) For each of the following goods, state whether it is a normal good, a luxury, a necessity, or an inferior good. (Sugar)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

a) Inferior. Increases in income lead to less use of sugar. However, rich people do not use much less sugar than poor people, so elasticity is positive but greater than 1.

b) Inferior. Increases in income lead to slightly more use of sugar. However, rich people do not use much more sugar than poor people, so elasticity is positive but less than 1.

c) Normal and necessity. Increases in income lead to slightly more use of sugar. However, rich people do not use much more sugar than poor people, so elasticity is positive and greater than 1.

d) Normal and necessity. Increases in income lead to slightly more use of sugar. However, rich people do not use much more sugar than poor people, so elasticity is positive but less than 1.

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2) A perfectly competitive firm sells its good for $24. If marginal cost is three times the quantity produced, how much does the firm produce? Why?

a) Assuming perfect competition, the firm is producing where MR = MC. If the price is $24, and MC is three times the quantity, it is producing 72 units.

b) Assuming perfect competition, the firm is producing where MC is twice MR. If the price is $24, then MC = $48. This means that the firm is producing 12 units.

c) Assuming perfect competition, we do not have enough information to determine how much the firm is producing.

d) Assuming perfect competition, the firm is producing where MR = MC=P. Since price is $24, MR also is $24. If MC is three times the quantity, it is producing 8 units

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3) State the law of supply.

a) Quantity supplied rises as price increases, other things constant. Quantity supplied falls as price decreases, other things constant.

b) Supply increases as price falls. Supply decreases as price rises.

c) Quantity supplied rises as price falls, other things constant. Quantity supplied falls as price increases, other things constant.

d) Supply increases as price increases. Supply decreases as price decreases

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4) If marginal cost is increasing, what do we know about average cost?

a) If marginal cost is increasing, average costs could be rising, falling, or constant. The direction of average costs depends upon whether marginal cost is higher or lower than average cost.

b) If marginal cost is increasing, average costs are rising. As the cost of the next item produced is rising, the average cost of all the items produced must also be rising.

c) If marginal cost is increasing, average costs are falling. Marginal costs only increase at very high levels of production. When items are mass-produced (because of economies of scale) their average costs always fall, even when marginal costs begin to increase.

d) Average cost is constant and always lower than marginal cost because of the law of decreasing marginal productivity. As more items are produced marginal costs increase (the same as productivity decreasing), but average costs remain constant because the total number of items produced is also increasing

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5) (The president of Lebanon Valley College proposed the following tuition program: provide a 50 percent tuition reduction for those graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school class, 33 percent reduction for those in the top 20 percent, and 25 percent reduction for those in the top 30 percent. All scholarship recipients were also required to maintain a minimum GPA. The comptroller estimated that the elasticity of demand for these students was greater than 1.)

Why did the program distinguish among top-performing students?

A) The program distinguished among top students because they were the least likely to respond to scholarships, keeping expenses related to scholarships down.

B) The program distinguished among top students because the top students demanded greater scholarships. The only way to achieve equilibrium was to supply more scholarships to these students.

C) The program distinguished among top students because their elasticities likely differed. The top 10 percent were likely being offered scholarships at other academic institutions, giving them greater choices, which made their elasticities greater.

D) The program distinguished among top students because their elasticities likely differed. The top 10 percent were likely being offered scholarships at other academic institutions, giving them greater choices, which made their elasticities lower.

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6) Say that equilibrium price fell and quantity remained constant. What would you say was the most likely cause?

a) The supply curve shifted left and the demand curve shifted left.

b) The supply curve shifted right and the demand curve shifted right.

c) The supply curve shifted right and the demand curve shifted left.

d) The supply curve shifted left and the demand curve shifted right.

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7) A firm has just decreased its price by 10 percent over last year's price, and it found that quantity sold decreased 20%. What The firm comes to you and wants to know its price elasticity of demand ?

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8) Name two advantages of the behavioral model.

Select all that apply.

a) They better match observed behavior.

b) Each model depends on a specific context and they are not easily generalized to other contexts.

c) Broader building blocks free researchers to look for more patterns in the data.

d) Irrational behavior results in complicated models that are often difficult to solve.

e) They assume people are rational, which better matches reality.

f) All economists agree the assumptions of the behavioral model are realistic.

1. Why Niall Ferguson thought that the expansionary fiscal policy (or government deficit) could produce crowding-out effect? You can explain by using the IS-LM model or you can use the logic of loanable funds theory.

Niall Ferguson believed that expansionary fiscal policy could produce a crowding-out effect. Ferguson believed that if the government tried to increase demand during the crisis it would cause the real interest rate to increase. He theorized that if the government tried to boost the economy through deficit spending it would cause the interest rate to rise, which in turn would crowd-out investors and consumers. The interest in the deficit would lead to an increase in the demand for loanable funds, which would lead to an increase in interest rates. Ferguson stated "The lesson of economic growth is very clear. Economic growth does not come from state-led infrastructure investment. It comes from technological innovation, and gains in productivity, and these things come from private sector, not from the state."

2. Why Paul Krugman thinks that Niall Ferguson was wrong and thought that government deficit could not produce a crowding-out effect? In other words, please explain Krugman's Liquidity trap .

Paul Krugman disagreed with Ferguson and believed that the government deficit could not produce a crowding out effect. Krugman's liquidity trap: Private demand is so low that even if the short-term interest rate is 0% spending is less that what is needed for full employment. Normal monetary policy of the central bank purchasing short-term debts with new money is ineffective. Krugman argues that a major issue during the crisis was people wanting to save money combined with the private sector being far less likely to invest. He referred to this a "savings glut". It was argued that the federal reserve was playing the part that the private banking system through buying private securities and the federal government was playing the roll that business wasn't by engaging in investment. Due to the liquidity trap excess demand for savings is not going to drive interest rates up. Krugman stated " Government borrowing gives some of those excess saving a place to go and in the process expands overall demand, and hence GDP. It does not crowd out private spending, at least not until the excess supply of savings has been sopped up, which is the same thing as saying not until the economy has escaped from the liquidity trap."

3. In the discussion, other discussants such as George Soros and Robin Wells pointed out some interesting issues. Please provide at least one thing that you agree and one thing that you disagree. Discuss in details why you think so.

I agree with Soros view that the publics view of the financial markets has been forever changed. " Financial markets namely that they tend toward equilibrium, and that equilibrium is disturbed by extraneous forces, outside shocks. But the finical system collapsed of its own weight." I feel like this is a situation in which it takes a very long time to build trust, but that trust can be lost instantly. The crash has challenged the felling of security that people once felt in the banking system. The idea of the market regulating itself is fading, it wasn't until the government stepped that people felt reassured in the banking system. I believe this will lead to a period of government regulation that wouldn't have arose without this change in view. I disagree with robin Wells' view that the US needs to shift towards protectionism. I believe that free trade is good for everyone as long as there is a comparative advantage. If the US moves toward protections as a result of the deficit it will slow economic growth and place us at a disadvantage compared to countries with free trade. Not to mention consumers in the US will be placed with the burden of higher prices on goods.

Please make comments to the discussion I provided above(at least 300 words). And you can start with "I agree with you on some points... But I disagree with you on some points".

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