Spatial Price Linkages and Imperfect Competition in Regional Cattle Markets

This paper analyzes non-competitive market conduct in the U.S. cattle procurement markets. Rather than relying on estimation of conduct parameters or measures of market concentration the analysis is based on the dynamics of price adjustment across regional markets. A VAR model is estimated using a multiple co-integration technique as a test for spatial market integration. The results are then related with hypotheses about pricing conduct in spatial markets.