What is a good cross price elasticity of demand?
John Hall
Updated on February 23, 2026
What does a positive cross elasticity of demand indicate? A positive cross elasticity of demand means that the demand for good A will increase as the price of good B goes up. This means that goods A and B are good substitutes, so that if B gets more expensive, people are happy to switch to A.
When two goods are complements to each other the cross price elasticity will?
If the goods are close substitutes, the cross-price elasticity will be positive and large; if not close substitutes, the cross-price elasticity will be positive and small. When two goods are complements, the cross-price elasticity will be negative.
What does a cross price elasticity of 0 mean?
For independent goods, the cross-price elasticity of demand is zero: the change in the price of one good with not be reflected in the quantity demanded of the other. Independent: Two goods that are independent have a zero cross elasticity of demand: as the price of good Y rises, the demand for good X stays constant.
What do you mean by Price Elasticity?
Price elasticity of demand is a measurement of the change in consumption of a product in relation to a change in its price. Expressed mathematically, it is: Price Elasticity of Demand = % Change in Quantity Demanded / % Change in Price.
When is the cross price elasticity of demand positive?
It is to be noted that the cross-price elasticity for two substitutes will be positive. If in case one good is complementary to the other good, then a decrease in the price of one goodwill leads to an increase in demand for the complementary good.
How is the cross elasticity of supply measured?
In contrast to changes in demand of two goods in response to prices, the cross elasticity of supply measures the proportional change in the quantity supplied or produced in relation to changes in the price of a good. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation.
Which is an example of negative cross elasticity?
This results in a negative cross elasticity. Toothpaste is an example of a substitute good; if the price of one brand of toothpaste increases, the demand for a competitor’s brand of toothpaste increases in turn. Companies utilize cross-elasticity of demand to establish prices to sell their goods.
Why are two goods with a positive Xed substitute goods?
For instance, two goods with a positive XED are substitute goods. This is because when the price of one good increases, it creates demand for the other good which is now cheaper.