How To Spend $7 Million

Slowing an upward march, the price of Super Bowl ads remained high as did their demand and probable return on a massive investment.

How Bruce Springsteen Should Price His Platinum Tickets

Rather than objecting to some very high Springsteen ticket prices, fans should recognize the economic ideas that justify them.

How Hershey Kisses and COPEC Are Like Oil and OPEC

Hershey kisses and COPEC might be like petroleum and OPEC if the Ivory Coast and Ghana are able to elevate cocoa bean prices.

Weekly Roundup: From Baseball Contracts to Super Bowl Ads

Our week’s everyday economics include inflation, supply and demand, income mobility, property rights, incentives, default, CDS, and monopoly pricing.

The Reason NBC Can Charge $4.5 Million for a Super Bowl Ad

Because of monopoly pricing power, as a price maker with sole Super Bowl broadcast rights, NBC can charge $4.5 million for a 30 second ad slot.

The Mystery of the $300 Textbook

Because the college textbook market is a monopoly for each book in which the instructor selects the books and students buy it, prices have skyrocketed.

Is the Super Bowl “Cheap” This Year?

From SeatGeek: January, 2013 $500-$2500 is the face value range for 2014 Super Bowl tickets. By contrast, in 1967, the least expensive box office ticket to the first Super Bowl would have cost you $6. Using an inflation calculator, I…

Is $3.9 Million the Right Price for a Super Bowl Ad?

In an ad for the (Super Bowl) ad, Stephen Colbert talks about Wonderful Pistachios. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKAG7UJ-NWk Fox said its Super Bowl TV ad inventory (estimated at 65 spots) for the game is sold out. According to Ad Age, that inventory included…