Testing for signals on oligopolistic behaviour – case of Finnish and German pork meat price

Abstract

Market integration of Finland toward EU has important implication to domestic agricultural policy. Our aim is to estimate the characteristics of the Finnish pork markets in relation to Germany. Our analysis use symmetric and asymmetric threshold error correction models. Pork prices are found cointegrated, and cointegration relationship of two counties is found asymmetric. A large positive shock in Germany is transmitted faster to Finland than a large negative one. It implies that a combination of cooperative processors and public quoted companies as in Finland, can smooth out some of the short term price fluctuations observed abroad.cointegration, asymmetric, error correction, Agricultural and Food Policy, Marketing,