Hal Singer
@halsinger.bsky.social
Economist, Dish washer, Jogger
Warning: To prebut arguments from defenders of price-discrimination, I used figures and basic welfare concepts. Apologies in advance.
Delta’s execs told us this month that the AI-based strategy is *increasing* unit revenues. That really should end the debate on output effects.
Delta’s execs told us this month that the AI-based strategy is *increasing* unit revenues. That really should end the debate on output effects.
July 23, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Warning: To prebut arguments from defenders of price-discrimination, I used figures and basic welfare concepts. Apologies in advance.
Delta’s execs told us this month that the AI-based strategy is *increasing* unit revenues. That really should end the debate on output effects.
Delta’s execs told us this month that the AI-based strategy is *increasing* unit revenues. That really should end the debate on output effects.
We draw support from the economic literature, which highlights how prior investigations under FDR led to massive price declines in the industries under investigation.
June 13, 2025 at 2:35 PM
We draw support from the economic literature, which highlights how prior investigations under FDR led to massive price declines in the industries under investigation.
We make the case here that the initiation of the DOJ investigation may have altered the pricing behavior of major egg producers. After all, the first rule of any conspiracy is to stop conspiring while under the microscope of an investigation.
June 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM
We make the case here that the initiation of the DOJ investigation may have altered the pricing behavior of major egg producers. After all, the first rule of any conspiracy is to stop conspiring while under the microscope of an investigation.
The mainstream media, egged on by egg industry lobbyists, pointed to a one main culprit for rising egg prices—the bird flu.
Here are some examples from the Washington Post.
Here are some examples from the Washington Post.
June 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The mainstream media, egged on by egg industry lobbyists, pointed to a one main culprit for rising egg prices—the bird flu.
Here are some examples from the Washington Post.
Here are some examples from the Washington Post.
Breaking news from The Economist
April 27, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Breaking news from The Economist
Kinda stunning that executives would say this to the New York Times. A payment to settle a meritless lawsuit in exchange for the non-enforcement of the antitrust laws. Make graft great again!!!!
January 31, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Kinda stunning that executives would say this to the New York Times. A payment to settle a meritless lawsuit in exchange for the non-enforcement of the antitrust laws. Make graft great again!!!!
And tho I appreciate the shoutout, this argument is equally misguided. Concentration of ownership, whether achieved via roll-up or common algorithm, in a neighborhood (not state) confers pricing power regardless of what other policies are in force (eg rent controls)
January 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
And tho I appreciate the shoutout, this argument is equally misguided. Concentration of ownership, whether achieved via roll-up or common algorithm, in a neighborhood (not state) confers pricing power regardless of what other policies are in force (eg rent controls)
YIMBY pushback against @GovKathyHochul’s proposal to limit investor/private equity roll-ups of homes in New York rests on the false premise that the relevant geographic market is the state. Yet a common owner merely needs to amass properties in a *neighborhood* to exercise market power.
January 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
YIMBY pushback against @GovKathyHochul’s proposal to limit investor/private equity roll-ups of homes in New York rests on the false premise that the relevant geographic market is the state. Yet a common owner merely needs to amass properties in a *neighborhood* to exercise market power.
So a defendant (Disney) can buy off a plaintiff (Fubo) to preserve what a court has found to be an anticompetitive joint venture (leading to higher prices for live sports)? This seems shady. And makes we wish that the former trustbusters were still in charge.
January 6, 2025 at 6:37 PM
So a defendant (Disney) can buy off a plaintiff (Fubo) to preserve what a court has found to be an anticompetitive joint venture (leading to higher prices for live sports)? This seems shady. And makes we wish that the former trustbusters were still in charge.
Turns out Carter not only deregulated trucking, but also skiing, ushering in a glorious era of neoliberalism (and the associated indignities like $300+ lift tickets).
January 6, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Turns out Carter not only deregulated trucking, but also skiing, ushering in a glorious era of neoliberalism (and the associated indignities like $300+ lift tickets).
Sigh. @TheEconomist assiduously avoids mentioning raising the wage floor as a remedy to the abuses in the H-1B visa program, even after noting that the top three users of H-1Bs impose a wage penalty on their workers. Instead, it only considers raising the annual cap (quota).
January 4, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Sigh. @TheEconomist assiduously avoids mentioning raising the wage floor as a remedy to the abuses in the H-1B visa program, even after noting that the top three users of H-1Bs impose a wage penalty on their workers. Instead, it only considers raising the annual cap (quota).
Hock Tan also appears to have figured out that, so long as you *publicly* cajole your rivals to raise their prices, you won’t draw the ire of antitrust enforcers (even tho there are laws against invitations to collude).
January 2, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Hock Tan also appears to have figured out that, so long as you *publicly* cajole your rivals to raise their prices, you won’t draw the ire of antitrust enforcers (even tho there are laws against invitations to collude).
Oh yes, The Economist, let’s celebrate another “ruthless CEO” for buying companies, laying off thousands of workers, slashing R&D, and then jacking up prices! This is just an extreme form of late-stage capitalism.
January 2, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Oh yes, The Economist, let’s celebrate another “ruthless CEO” for buying companies, laying off thousands of workers, slashing R&D, and then jacking up prices! This is just an extreme form of late-stage capitalism.
If I had a dollar for every time some antitrust guru tells us that Amazon has never done anything to raise consumer prices, I’d have like a hundred dollars. How do you think merchants respond to an increase in fees? By raising their prices of course!
December 30, 2024 at 4:04 PM
If I had a dollar for every time some antitrust guru tells us that Amazon has never done anything to raise consumer prices, I’d have like a hundred dollars. How do you think merchants respond to an increase in fees? By raising their prices of course!
A natural implication of this study is that rental inflation in (say) Atlanta should be greater than rental inflation in the rest of the country from the time RealPage was adopted. And that appears to be the case—rents in Atlanta jumped from $1,267 in April 2020 to $1,622 in April 2022.
December 22, 2024 at 10:56 PM
A natural implication of this study is that rental inflation in (say) Atlanta should be greater than rental inflation in the rest of the country from the time RealPage was adopted. And that appears to be the case—rents in Atlanta jumped from $1,267 in April 2020 to $1,622 in April 2022.
The study estimates that the inflation owing to RealPage is higher in cities like Atlanta, where over 60% of multifamily rental units use RealPage, than in cities like New York, where fewer than 10% of such units use ReaPage.
December 22, 2024 at 10:55 PM
The study estimates that the inflation owing to RealPage is higher in cities like Atlanta, where over 60% of multifamily rental units use RealPage, than in cities like New York, where fewer than 10% of such units use ReaPage.
The details are in a technical appendix. But the big idea was to estimate the elasticity of demand faced by landlords using the pricing software and then solve for the profit-maximizing rent if each landlord were settings rents unilaterally.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 22, 2024 at 10:54 PM
The details are in a technical appendix. But the big idea was to estimate the elasticity of demand faced by landlords using the pricing software and then solve for the profit-maximizing rent if each landlord were settings rents unilaterally.
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
What some might call “anticompetitive effects” from consolidated buying power over workers in neighboring plants, pro-monopoly types call “cost savings.”
December 22, 2024 at 8:26 PM
What some might call “anticompetitive effects” from consolidated buying power over workers in neighboring plants, pro-monopoly types call “cost savings.”
The agency is collecting 6% of all revenues generated by Uber/Lyft. So it prefers to collect 6% of a supra-competitive price than 6% of a competitive price. Same thing happened in cable tv, where local regulators tried to keep out entrants at the behest of incumbents.
December 17, 2024 at 2:49 PM
The agency is collecting 6% of all revenues generated by Uber/Lyft. So it prefers to collect 6% of a supra-competitive price than 6% of a competitive price. Same thing happened in cable tv, where local regulators tried to keep out entrants at the behest of incumbents.
Incredible story about how a DC agency is trying to stifle competition from an upstart ride-hailing company that pays its drivers a higher wage share than Uber or Lyft. In addition to massive fines, the agency impounds the drivers’ cars (45 per month).
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/t...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/t...
December 17, 2024 at 2:48 PM
Incredible story about how a DC agency is trying to stifle competition from an upstart ride-hailing company that pays its drivers a higher wage share than Uber or Lyft. In addition to massive fines, the agency impounds the drivers’ cars (45 per month).
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/t...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/t...
My God The Economist claims the judges got it wrong in Kroger-Albertsons because the merging parties have a small combined share in a … wait for it … non-existent *national* market for groceries. Antitrust is hard, y’all.
December 12, 2024 at 3:18 AM
My God The Economist claims the judges got it wrong in Kroger-Albertsons because the merging parties have a small combined share in a … wait for it … non-existent *national* market for groceries. Antitrust is hard, y’all.
@pkrugman.bsky.social is right to blame billionaires in his final column, but neglects to mention they amplify their reactionary influence via ownership of key platforms (X, WaPo), think tanks, academic centers, and ultimately politicians given the high costs of financing a campaign.
December 10, 2024 at 7:39 PM
@pkrugman.bsky.social is right to blame billionaires in his final column, but neglects to mention they amplify their reactionary influence via ownership of key platforms (X, WaPo), think tanks, academic centers, and ultimately politicians given the high costs of financing a campaign.
Lots of folks asking what Musk bought with his campaign contributions to Trump. This one—protection from EU regulators—was even news to me. Twitter is now an apparatus of the incumbent political party.
December 9, 2024 at 4:10 PM
Lots of folks asking what Musk bought with his campaign contributions to Trump. This one—protection from EU regulators—was even news to me. Twitter is now an apparatus of the incumbent political party.