In: Economics
What impediments in the real world might prevent the Law of One Price from holding for a particular good? How is the Law of One Price related to the idea of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)? What is the evidence for PPP actually existing?
-The law of one price is the economic theory that states the price of an identical security, commodity or asset traded anywhere should have the same price regardless of location when currency exchange rates are taken into consideration, if it is traded in a free market with no trade restrictions. The law of one price exists because differences between asset prices in different locations should eventually be eliminated due to the arbitrage opportunity.
-The law of one price states that prices of the same good will be identical in different countries. However, a requirement for this to occur is for goods to be traded so that arbitrage conditions exist. Goods that are not traded cannot take advantage of arbitrage conditions and therefore are unlikely to converge to the same price. Even goods that are identical may not converge to the same price because of the local non-traded input price differences (labor, rent, transportation).
-The law of one price theory is the underpinning of the concept of purchasing power parity. Purchasing power parity states that the value of two currencies is equal when a basket of identical goods is priced the same in both countries. It relates to a formula that can be applied to compare securities across markets that trade in different currencies. As exchange rates can shift frequently, the formula can be recalculated on a regular basis to identify mis-pricing across various international markets.
-A few Examples of PPPs