Q.(OR) Discuss the effect of upward shifting of Demand and Supply curve on equilibrium price and quantity.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →If both demand and supply increase, equilibrium quantity always rises, but equilibrium price may rise, fall or stay the same depending on which increases more.
Market equilibrium is determined where the demand and supply curves intersect, giving the equilibrium price and quantity. A 'shift' of a curve means a change in demand or supply at every price due to a change in factors other than the good's own price. Here we examine the effect when both the demand curve and the supply curve shift upward/rightward (i.e. both demand and supply increase).
First, the individual effects:
- Increase in demand (demand curve shifts rightward/upward): at the original price, demand exceeds supply (excess demand), so the price is bid up, and both equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity rise.
- Increase in supply (supply curve shifts rightward): at the original price, supply exceeds demand (excess supply), so the price is pushed down; equilibrium quantity rises but equilibrium price falls.
Combined effect (both increase simultaneously):
- Effect on equilibrium quantity — Both the increase in demand and the increase in supply tend to raise the equilibrium quantity. So the equilibrium quantity definitely increases.
- Effect on equilibrium price — The two shifts pull the price in opposite directions (demand increase pushes price up, supply increase pushes price down). Therefore the net effect on price is indeterminate and depends on the relative size of the two shifts:
- If the increase in demand is greater than the increase in supply, the price rises.
- If the increase in supply is greater than the increase in demand, the price falls.
- If demand and supply increase by exactly the same amount, the price remains unchanged. …
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