Stability analysis of a cobweb model with market interactions

This paper explores the steady-state properties and the dynamic behavior of a generalization of the classical cobweb model. Under fairly general demand and cost functions, producers form naïve expectations about future prices and select their output so as to maximize expected profits. Unlike the traditional setup, producers have the choice between two markets, and tend to enter that which was more profitable in the recent past. Such a switching process implies time-varying aggregated supply schedules, thus representing a further source of nonlinearity for the dynamics of prices. Analytical investigations and the numerical simulation of a particular case with linear demand and supply indicate that such interactions may destabilize otherwise stable markets and generate complex dynamics.