Exam 2 Flashcards
Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary determinants of market structure?
a. Barriers to entry or exit
b. Product differentiation
c. Degree of Institutional involvement
d. Number and relative size of buyers and sellers
c. Degree of Institutional involvement
All of the following would be considered third degree price discrimination except:
a. Booking a motel room early to ensure a discount
b. Grandparents getting a “Seniors Discount” at an amusement park
c. Getting a bulk-quantity discount as a member of a warehouse club
d. Scheduling a weekend stayover to get a discount on airline tickets
c. Getting a bulk-quantity discount as a member of a warehouse club
A market characterized by a situation where certain buyers and sellers have some control over price leading to inefficiencies in terms of costs to consumers is best defined as:
a. Perfect Competition
b. Imperfect Competition
b. Imperfect Competition
Which market structure shown below would be expected to minimize consumer surplus?
a. Monopoly
b. Oligopoly
c. Perfectly Competitive
a. Monopoly
Which market structure shown below is expected to provide the lowest price and highest quantity?
a. Monopoly
b. Oligopoly
c. Perfectly Competitive
c. Perfectly Competitive
Which of the following is the primary determinant for ensuring long-run economic profit for a monopoly?
a. Differentiated product
b. Significant barriers to entry
c. Ability to be a “price-maker”
d. Efficiency of the operations
b. Significant barriers to entry
Which of the following is the primary reason an oligopoly is not a pure price maker?
a. Strategy
b. Interdependence
c. Product Differentiation
b. Interdependence
Of the following, which is the best example of a “price-taker”?
a. A GMO corn breeder
b. A U.S. wheat producer
c. A fast food franchise
d. A brand-name gas station
b. A U.S. wheat producer
A kinked-demand curve illustrates the reason monopoly markets tend to see more stable prices and why competitors maximize total revenue by following a competitor’s price decrease.
a. True
b. False
b. False
Market share of an industry or product is more important than size of a firm in determining market power.
a. True
b. False
a. True
A thin market is one which has few buyers, few sellers and limited number of transactions, making the price discovery process more challenging.
a. True
b. False
a. True
The primary component of a successful price discovery system using formula pricing is:
a. Locating a centralized auction location
b. Buyer and sellers agreeing to adjustment factors for quality
c. Buyer and sellers agreeing on a third-party base price
d. Both B and C
d. Both B and C
Aside from assigning a skilled negotiator, the primary challenge to a successful collective bargaining pricing system is ensuring that participants stay within the group and abide by the group pricing decisions.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Which of the following is not a primary consideration when adopting a price discovery system?
a. Ensuring equitable returns to participants
b. Minimizing costs to both buyers and sellers
c. Providing accurate price signals and quality
d. Limiting the number of buyers and sellers
d. Limiting the number of buyers and sellers
Market prices in an administered system tend to be more distorted and less efficient than true market prices.
a. True
b. False
a. True
In 2008, the value of total U.S. agricultural production not covered by contracting was:
a. 20%
b. 30%
c. 40%
d. 60%
d. 60%
Benefits of vertical integration include all of the following except:
a. Supply chain efficiency
b. Capturing additional margins
c. A means of addressing “holdup” in a market
d. Allowing farmers to make independent input decisions
d. Allowing farmers to make independent input decisions
Using a traditional spot cash market is a relatively low-risk means to pricing a commodity.
a. True
b. False
b. False
Holdup is defined as the risk of a producer in a limited market with a specialized or perishable commodity being forced to sell at a low price from a single buyer.
a. True
b. False
a. True
All of the following are advantages to contracting except:
a. Reducing income risk
b. Assuring a market for a commodity
c. Eliminating default risk of a single buyer
d. Ensuring and rewarding for quality
c. Eliminating default risk of a single buyer
Agreements between a producer and a buyer, made prior to the completion of a production cycle, which detail the terms under which ownership of a commodity will be transferred from the farm are best defined as:
a. Hedging contracts
b. Agricultural contracts
c. Production contracts
d. Spot or cash market contracts
b. Agricultural contracts
Which of the following industries has become the largest user of production contracts?
a. Wheat markets
b. Dairy markets
c. Cattle markets
d. Poultry markets
d. Poultry markets
Usage of agricultural contracts tends to increase with each of the following factors except:
a. Size of the farm
b. Debt level of the farm
c. Net worth of the farm
d. Farms with specialized equipment
c. Net worth of the farm
Crop markets tend to utilize marketing contracts while poultry and hog markets utilize production contracts.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Grain and cattle producers are less likely to contract because of pricing tools available with futures markets.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Risk management in agricultural production primarily entails:
a. Ensuring an output price that covers breakeven cost of production
b. Protecting profitable margins for livestock feeding operations
c. Utilizing fundamental and technical analysis to determine price direction and objectives
d. All the above
d. All the above
The basic balance sheet equation for a storable commodity is:
a. Supply plus Demand equals Ending Stocks
b. Supply minus Demand equals Ending Stocks
c. Stocks plus Imports equals Total Supply
d. Demand minus Supply equals Ending Stocks
b. Supply minus Demand equals Ending Stocks
Fundamental analysis looks at supply and demand factors while technical analysis focuses on identifying price targets on charts.
a. True
b. False
a. True
U.S. corn plantings are forecast at 95 mln acres, harvested acreage is forecast to be 90 mln acres and the trendline yield for U.S. corn is 175 bushels per acre. Given these numbers, what is expected U.S. corn production?
a. 15.750 billion bushels
b. 16.625 billion bushels
c. 17.500 billion bushels
d. 18.125 billion bushels
a. 15.750 billion bushels
Given your answer for U.S. corn production above, what would be your expectation for corn prices if yields came in 25% above the trendline yield due to exceptional growing conditions?
a. Lower Prices
b. Higher Prices
a. Lower Prices
If fundamental analysis of the beef market shows cattle on feed numbers decreasing, and significantly lower than expected, you would expect beef prices over the next six months to:
a. Increase (go higher)
b. Decrease (go lower)
a. Increase (go higher)