The Flatscreen Price Wars are Here

By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com staff writer:

NEW YORK — If you’re in the market for a new flatscreen TV this holiday season, you’re in luck.

As nervous merchants prepare to draw reluctant shoppers with juicy sales, retail experts say some of the sweetest deals in the coming weeks will be on high-definition televisions.

As they compete for customers, TV sellers are going to wage a price war, and the biggest bargains will likely be on smaller models.

"The difference from prior holiday discounts on TVs is that consumers will find really, really good prices on 32-inch to 37-inch HDTVs and not necessarily the 65-inch models," said Phillip Swann, a consumer electronics expert and publisher of TVpredictions.com.

"We’re already seeing 32-inch LCD models under $400. Typically they are $500, or more," he said. "And we’re also seeing prices drop from about a $1,000 for 40-inch screens to $800."

One example, Target is reportedly featuring a 32-inch Westinghouse LCD HDTV for $246 as a "doorbuster special" on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when holiday shopping kicks off in earnest.

"The $246 HDTV is the lowest price that we’ve ever seen for that model," said Brad Olson, founder of Gottadeal.com, a Web site that markets itself as one of many "official" Black Friday deal sites.

Ross Rubin, a consumer electronics analyst with market research firm NPD Group, agreed. "A 32-inch [TV] under $400 is going to be a key price point for merchants," Ross said.

"The smaller TV models also appeal to consumers who already have a 47 or 50-inch HDTV in the living room and they want to add another flatscreen in the bedroom or elsewhere," Rubin said.

At the same time, the economy and a shaky job market is also spurring interest in smaller-sized TVs.

"Consumers still want to buy a new TV, but at a smaller pricetag," said Swann.  Full Store – Read More…….

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J Curve – An interesting relationship that exists between the exchange rate for a nation’s currency and its balance of trade. In principle, the drop in a nation’s exchange rate, or price of currency, makes the currency less expensive to "buy." With "cheaper" currency the price of domestic production is less and the price of foreign stuff is more, causing an increase in exports to other countries and drop in imports coming in from foreign producers. The economy thus moves in the direction away from a trade deficit and toward a trade surplus. However, the first few months after a drop in the exchange rate the balance of trade goes in the other direction, with any existing trade deficit increasing or any trade surplus shrinking. This occurs because the quantities imported and exported don’t change in the short run, but the prices do. Because more is paid for the same amount of imported goods and receive less for the same amount of exports, total spending on imports increases, total revenue received from exports declines, and the movement is in the trade deficit direction. Once those quantities start adjusting in the long run, then we see a movement in the direction of a trade surplus.

Job Satisfaction – The satisfaction or utility that a worker receives from employment. Job satisfaction might result from the working environment (friendly co-workers, supportive boss) or from the type of work performed (playing sports, creating artwork, accomplishing goals). Satisfaction generated by a job is part of the "total compensation" an employee receives, meaning workers with more job satisfaction are often willing to accept a lower monetary wage payment.

Joint Demand – Demand for two or more commodities that are either complements-in-consumption or complements-in-production. Joint demand results because two or more commodities are used together either to satisfy wants and needs or to produce goods and services. Because the commodities are used jointly, the demand for one good is necessarily based on the use and availability of another good. If, for example, you enjoy milk and brownies as complements-in-consumption, but the bakery is out of brownies, then your demand for milk is also likely to decline.

Juglar Cycle – A cycle of economic activity lasting between 8 and 10 years that acquired the name of the first economist to study it, Clement Juglar. The Juglar cycles is attributed to investment in equipment and machinery. This is one of four separate cycles of macroeconomic activity that have been documented or hypothesized. The other three are Kitchin cycle, Kuznets cycle, and Kondratieff cycle.

Just in Time – A method of production in which inputs used in the production process are delivered to a firm or factory immediately before they are needed. Just in time limits the inventories of raw materials and intermediate goods kept on site. While this is credited with improving microeconomic production efficiency, it might also prevent macroeconomic business-cycle instability that is attributable to the unplanned build-up of business inventories.

All definitions are provided by AmosWeb

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