ANTHONY PARIS

Determinants of investments in solar photovoltaic: Do oil prices really matter?

Margaux Escoffier, Emmanuel Hache, Valérie Mignon, Anthony Paris

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment in the electricity mix for a panel of OECD and BRICS countries from 1997 to 2016 by paying particular attention to the impact of oil market conditions. Relying on a nonlinear, regime-switching specification, we show that rising oil prices stimulate PV deployment only if their growth rate is important, above 6.7%. Although we find that various other determinants matter—with the influence of some of them depending on the situation on the oil market—public policies play a crucial role. In particular, our findings show that feed-in-tariffs should be encouraged to ensure a continuous fight against climate change, whatever the dynamics followed by oil prices.

Mot(s) clé(s)

Solar photovoltaic; Renewables deployment; Oil prices; Panel smooth transition regression

Market Efficiency and Optimal Hedging Strategy for the US Ethanol Market

Emmanuel Hache, Anthony Paris

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the ethanol price dynamics in the US market and find the optimal hedging strategy. To this end, we first attempt to identify the long-term relationship between ethanol spot prices and the prices of futures contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Then, we model the short-term dynamics between these two prices using a Markov-switching vector error correction model (Ms-VECM). Finally, accounting for the variance dynamics using a Gjr-MGarch error structure, we compute a time-varying hedge ratio and determine the optimal hedging strategy in the US ethanol market.

Mot(s) clé(s)

Ethanol prices, Futures markets, Markov-switching regime models, Hedge ratio

On the current account - biofuels link in emerging and developing countries: do oil price fluctuations matter?

Gabriel Gomes, Emmanuel Hache, Valérie Mignon, Anthony Paris

Abstract

Many developed countries promote the use of biofuels for environmental concerns, leading to a rise in the price of agricultural commodities utilized in their production. Such environmental policies have major effects on the economy of emerging and developing countries whose activity is highly dependent on agricultural commodities involved in biofuel production. This paper tackles this issue by examining the price impact of biofuels on the current account for a panel of 16 developing and emerging countries, and the potential nonlinear effect exerted by the price of oil on this relationship. Relying on the estimation of panel smooth-transition regression models, we show that positive shocks in the price of biofuels lead to a current-account improvement for agricultural commodity exporters and producers only when the price of oil is below a certain threshold. When the price of oil exceeds this threshold, uctuations in the price of biofuels no longer affect the current account. These findings illustrate that a rise in the price of oil exerts a negative effect on the trade balance of commodity exporters which are also oil importers, dampening the biofuel price impact on the current-account position.

Mot(s) clé(s)

Biofuels; Oil; Current account; Panel smooth transition regression

The Effect of Biofuels on the Link between Oil and Agricultural Commodity Prices: A Smooth Transition Cointegration Approach

Anthony Paris

Abstract

Given the few studies highlighting the existence of an oil-price effect on agricultural commodity prices in the last decade, we sought to demonstrate the role of first-generation biofuel production in such a relationship. Relying on a smooth transition cointegration approach, we show that biofuel development has led to an increase in the long-term price effect of oil on agricultural commodity prices. Thus, the increasing production of biofuels contributes to the price rise of agricultural commodities. This result underlines the importance of accelerating second-generation biofuel production to replace first-generation biofuels

Mot(s) clé(s)

Biofuel, Oil price, Agricultural commodity,Nonlinear econometrics.