Q.Explain the 'shutdown point' in perfect competetion market with the help of diagram. OR Explain changes in market equilibrium in following conditions with the help of diagram -
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The short-run shutdown point is where price equals minimum average variable cost; below that a firm stops producing. Shifts in demand/supply move the equilibrium: demand shifts move price and quantity the same way, supply shifts move them oppositely.
Shutdown point in perfect competition (with diagram described): put output on the horizontal axis and price/cost on the vertical axis, and draw the AVC and MC curves; MC cuts AVC at AVC's minimum. The shutdown point is this minimum point of the AVC curve.
- A firm produces in the short run only if the price at least covers its average variable cost, because fixed costs must be paid whether or not it produces.
- If price = minimum AVC, the firm is indifferent between producing and shutting down (it covers only variable costs, losing all its fixed cost either way).
- If price falls below minimum AVC, continuing to produce would add to the loss, so the firm shuts down and produces zero in the short run. Hence the short-run supply curve of the firm is the rising part of the MC curve above the minimum AVC.
OR — Changes in market equilibrium (with diagram described): draw demand (DD) and supply (SS) curves intersecting at equilibrium price P and quantity Q.
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