2,245 research outputs found
Jump Bidding and Overconcentration in Decentralized Simultaneous Ascending Auctions
A model of English auction that allows jump bidding is proposed. When two objects are sold separately via such English auctions, I construct an equilibrium such that bidders signal via jump bids, thereby forming rational expectations of the prices without relying on any central mediator. This equilibrium eliminates the exposure problem for a bidder whose valuation function is superadditive. Consequently, the auction game overly concentrates the goods to a multi-item bidder and never overly diffuses them to single-item bidders.complementarity; auction; multiple object aucrtions; simultaneous auctions; synergy; exposure problem; threshold problem
The collusive drawbacks of sequential auctions
Sequential first-price auctions for multiple objects are very common in procurement, electricity,
tobacco, timber, and oil lease markets. In this paper we identify two ways in which a
sequential format may facilitate collusion among bidders relative to a simultaneous one. The
first effect relates to the cartelâs ability to identify and punish defectors within the sequence,
thus lowering the gains from a deviation with respect to a simultaneous format. The second
effect concerns the cartelâs ability to allocate the bidder with the highest incentive to deviate
(the âmaverickâ) to the last object of the sequence, thus increasing the viability of the collusive
agreement. We then analyze how the seller may counteract this two effects by limiting
the amount of information disclosed to bidders across rounds, and find that partial disclosure
policies have little impact on the sustainability of collusion
Descending Price Optimally Coordinates Search
Investigating potential purchases is often a substantial investment under
uncertainty. Standard market designs, such as simultaneous or English auctions,
compound this with uncertainty about the price a bidder will have to pay in
order to win. As a result they tend to confuse the process of search both by
leading to wasteful information acquisition on goods that have already found a
good purchaser and by discouraging needed investigations of objects,
potentially eliminating all gains from trade. In contrast, we show that the
Dutch auction preserves all of its properties from a standard setting without
information costs because it guarantees, at the time of information
acquisition, a price at which the good can be purchased. Calibrations to
start-up acquisition and timber auctions suggest that in practice the social
losses through poor search coordination in standard formats are an order of
magnitude or two larger than the (negligible) inefficiencies arising from
ex-ante bidder asymmetries.Comment: JEL Classification: D44, D47, D82, D83. 117 pages, of which 74 are
appendi
On some collusive and signaling equilibria in ascending auctions for multiple objects
We consider two ascending auctions for multiple objects: the SEAMO (simultaneous English auction for multiple objects) and the the JAMO (Japanese auction for multiple objects). We first derive a (competitive) Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium of the JAMO by exploiting the strategic equivalence between the JAMO and the Survival Auction which consists of a finite sequence of sealed-bid auctions. Then, we prove that many of the (unwanted) collusive or signaling equilibria studied in the literature in the framework of the SEAMO do not have a counterpart in the JAMO. However, it is shown that certain collusive equilibria based on retaliatory strategies do exist in both auctions.Multi-unit auctions; Ascending auctions; FCC auctions; Collusion; Retaliation
Auctions with Positive Synergies: Experimental Evidence
In a standard auction, bidders bid more aggressively when the number of bidders increases. However, Krishna and Rosenthal (1996, Games and Economic Behavior) show that when bidders have multiple-unit demand that generates positive synergies, bidders bid less aggressively as the number of bidders increases. The first objective of this paper is to offer experimental evidence on this seemingly counter-intuitive theoretical prediction. Following the model of Krishna and Rosenthal, we design a simultaneous second-price sealed-bid auction for two objects with two types of bidders: single-object and multiple-object demand bidders. Our results show that bidders bid less aggressively with increased competition. The second objective is to investigate the effect of offering global bidders the option of bidding for both objects as a package as well as submitting individual bids for each object. Controlling for bidders' valuations, we find that offering this option to global bidders increases allocative efficiency and sellers' revenue.Auction, Positive Synergies, Increased Competition, Package Bids
Collusion via signaling in open ascending auctions with multiple objects and complementarities
Collusive equilibria exist in open ascending auctions with multiple objects, if the number of bidders is sufficiently small relative to the number of objects, even with large complementarities in the buyers' utility functions. The bidders collude by dividing the objects among themselves, while keeping the prices low. Hence the complementarities are not realized
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