Robust Economic Dispatch of Microgrid With Highly Penetrated Renewables and Energy Storage System

Economic dispatch (ED) of a grid-connected and renewable integrated microgrid is considered in this article. Here, the renewable energy sources (RES) taken into consideration are wind farms. A parameter worst-case-transaction-cost which arises due to the stochastic availability and uncontrollable nature of wind farms is also emphasised and efforts have been taken to minimize it too. Hence, the article focuses on separately optimizing the generation costs and the worst-case transaction costs. It also optimises the net microgrid cost as a whole, which is the summation of generation costs and the worst-case transaction costs. Two different cases with highly varying transaction prices are studied. Various types of loads, ramp rates of generators, charging and discharging limits of the batteries are taken into consideration while minimizing the microgrid cost. Four meta-heuristic soft computing algorithms are applied for optimization and a comparative analysis among them is studied. Numerical results are tabulated to justify the effectiveness of the novel approach.

Developments and convergence of real housing prices in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic: focus on voivodeship capitals

The paper aims to present and assess the changes in real housing prices in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyse transaction prices of residential premises in a multi-family housing (apartments) in the primary and secondary markets within 16 administrative capitals of voivodeships. We use quarterly data on House Prices Database collected by the National Bank of Poland and data on quarterly price indices of consumer goods and services from Statistics Poland. The research period covers the period 2018-2021, with distinction into COVID-19- and pre-COVID-19 periods. We observe the highest housing prices in Warszawa, Gdańsk, Kraków, and Wrocław, while the lowest in Zielona Góra and Kielce. Surprisingly, the growth rate in real housing prices in the pandemic sub-period is lower than in corresponding pre-COVID-19 period. In the COVID-19 sub-period, we observe the most significant increases in real estate prices in Zielona Góra and Szczecin in the primary market, and Kraków, Lublin, and Łódź in the secondary market. Additionally, we reveal the existence of regional price convergence in the housing market in analysed cities, both in primary and secondary markets. However, we do not observe a common price convergence, but only convergence clubs (city-groups) where the housing prices tend to converge in the COVID-19 sub-period.

Determinants of farmland prices and their local variation

The setting of farmland prices in the market not only reflects existing agricultural activities but also expected potential for development. This study decomposes farmland prices into values representative of current agricultural production and the prospective development potential at the county level in South Korea. The income value of farmland is derived by analysing agricultural revenue and production cost, and the sale value of farmland is estimated by reviewing transaction prices filed with the administrative authority. The difference between income value and sale value is adopted as the development value in this study. The results of the estimation show that the proportion of development value in the price of farmland is remarkably high, with a median proportion of 0.78, indicating that the threat of converting land to non-agricultural use is non-trivial because it remains a financially attractive alternative. In addition, the magnitude of the portion of the development value in the price of farmland varies considerably across counties depending on the distance to nearby metropolitan cities. This implies that agricultural policy should be designed in a locally optimised manner to effectively restrain the conversion of farmland for urban use.

Applying Property Pricing Models to Estimate a Foreclosure Discount in the Hotel Real Estate Sector

This study investigates the magnitude of the foreclosure sale discount in the hotel sector. The foreclosure sales discount is captured using three different models: hedonic, hybrid, and repeat sales. Controlling for various hotel attributes and time, the hedonic model shows a foreclosure discount of 40%, followed by the repeat sales model at 42% and the hybrid model at 45%, all relative to non-distressed market prices. The results of the study provide novel empirical evidence of cross-sectional variation in foreclosure discounts between independent hotels and branded hotel segments and by location. In particular, variation in the foreclosure discount is driven by independent and upscale hotels and hotels located in resorts, small metro towns, and urban locations. In addition, the study results reveal the influence of occupancy, deferred maintenance, renovation, and holding period on transaction prices.

Price-limit effectiveness: evidence from the Borsa Istanbul (BIST)

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the impact of price-limit hits by hit type and when such hits start and stop using intraday trades and quotes at a one-second frequency for firms included in the BIST-50 index during the 13-months starting with March 2008. Like the recent COVID-19 period, this period includes the heightened stress in global financial markets in September 2008. Design/methodology/approach Using intra-day trades and quotes at a one-second frequency, the authors examine the market effects of price limits for firms included in the BIST-50 index during the global financial crisis. The authors compare the values of various metrics for 60 min centered on price-limit hit periods. The authors conduct robustness tests using auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models with trade-by-trade and with 3-min returns. Findings The findings are supportive of the following hypotheses: magnet price effects, greater informational asymmetric effects of market quality and each version of price discovery. Results are robust using samples differentiated by cross-listed status, same-day quotes instead of transaction prices and equidistant and trade-by-trade returns. Originality/value The authors use intraday data to reduce measurement error that is particularly pronounced when daily data are used to assess price limits that start and/or stop during a trading session. The authors contribute to the micro-structure literature by using ARIMA models with trade-by-trade and 3-min returns to alleviate some bias due to the autocorrelations in returns around price-limit hits in the presence of a magnet effect. The authors include some recent regulation changes in various countries to illustrate the importance of circuit breakers using price limits during COVID-19.

COVID-19 and Second Home Prices in Switzerland: An Empirical Insight

During the COVID-19 pandemic, second home ownership created several owner benefits. This paper analyses price changes of second homes during the pandemic. It derives propositions for the impact of the pandemic on the value of second homes for its owners. The contribution draws on panel data of transaction prices for second homes from Switzerland, a country with traditionally strong second home ownership, provided by Wüest Partner. The results show that there is a significant price increase for second homes – especially compared to apartments – after the start of the COVID-19 crisis. They also show that prices even in certain second-class destinations have risen significantly during the pandemic. Different research propositions are derived like that buyers might look for less crowded places in the pandemic, and the reduced benefits of intensive infrastructures during a pandemic.

How Market Power Affects Dynamic Pricing: Evidence from Inventory Fluctuations at Car Dealerships

This paper investigates empirically the effect of market power on dynamic pricing in the presence of inventories. Our setting is the auto retail industry; we analyze how automotive dealerships adjust prices to inventory levels under varying degrees of market power. We first establish that inventory fluctuations create scarcity rents for cars that are in short supply. We then show that dealers’ ability to adjust prices in response to inventory depends on their market power, that is, the quantity of substitute inventory in their selling area. Specifically, we show that the slope of the price–inventory relationship (higher inventory lowers prices) is significantly steeper when dealers find themselves in a situation of high rather than low market power. A dealership with high market power moving from a situation of inventory shortage to a median inventory level lowers transaction prices by about 0.57% ceteris paribus, corresponding to 32.5% of dealers’ average per-vehicle profit margin or $145.6 on the average car. Conversely, when competition is more intense, moving from inventory shortage to a median inventory level lowers transaction prices by about 0.35% ceteris paribus, corresponding to 20.2% of dealers’ average per-vehicle profit margin or $90.9. To our knowledge, we are the first to empirically show that market power affects firms’ ability to dynamically price. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.

Dynamic Sales Price Control Model for Exclusive Exquisite Products within a Time Interval

When information regarding the effective evaluation of the value of exquisite products is lacking, the market demand function for such products at a given time point is affected by the diffusion of historical transaction price information before the time point. This is because historical transaction prices play an active role in influencing the internal reference price (IRP) of customers, and the continuous diffusion of historical transaction price information leads to the continuous correction, adjustment, and updating of customers’ IRPs. Given the varying rates of such information diffusion, the speed at which customers adjust their IRPs also varies across individuals and contexts. By considering the exponential distribution of potential customers’ IRPs as an example to establish the dynamic demand function that considers the effect of historical transaction prices, this paper discusses the effect of different information diffusion rates on the demand function at a time point. On the basis of this demand function, a sales price control model that maximizes the discounted profitability for businesses in the patent term of an exquisite product is then constructed to provide businesses with an operation method to cultivate prices and increase profits.

The Effect of Expected Losses on the Hong Kong Property Market

Expected losses anchored to purchase prices can affect actual transactions in different property sectors. Utilizing the data of over a million commercial and residential property transactions in Hong Kong from 1991 to 2015, we find that sellers facing nominal losses relative to their prior purchase prices attained higher selling prices than their counterparts. We suggest two market factors to account for the extent of the loss effect on the market transaction prices. First, the loss effect is only prominent when comparable transaction information is not readily accessible, such as in the less-transacted commercial property market. Second, our results suggest the relevance of the loss effect to the boom-bust property cycle in both the residential and commercial markets. The effect of expected losses on transaction prices is relatively weak in the bust period between 1998 and 2003 when the Hong Kong property market lost almost two-thirds of its value, and it enlarges with the market recovering. The loss effect is not attenuated at the aggregate market level but is associated with strong reductions in price declines in the bust period and in the commercial market. These results have implications for understanding the market adjustment of the loss effect in the property market and its association with the aggregate market dynamics in a boom-bust property cycle.