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The recent drought in the pass summer in the Midwest has resulted in a decrease in crops. As a result, not only that restaurants have to struggle with high fuel costs and inactive economy, they also have to struggle with higher food costs with poorer quality. For example, a restaurant used to offer a bowl of pasta at $8.95. However, in the late August, the price jumped to $9.95. Eggs cost 18% more than they did a year earlier. Restaurants need to adjust menus, reduce portion sizes, even consider staff cuts, and also increase prices of their food in order to sustain their businesses.Experts predict that the overall food costs could possibly rise at 5% to 20%. In consequence, customers are less seen out in restaurants. This relates to price mechanism and equilibrium. Lower supply of food shifts the supply curve to the left. This means that the amount being supplied and demanded is different. Producers then must have to raise prices to adjust to higher costs of production. In consequence, amount being demanded at a new price is decreased, setting a new equilibrium price and quantity. This is a downside for the producers since they must increase price to adjust to higher food costs, but because of that, less is being demanded. The restaurants can either choose to lower their price to the original in order to attract customers or remain at the increased price. Either way, restaurants are still affected.

In this article it explains why we, the consumer, are unable to influence gas prices. The article suggests 3 main reasons: 1) for oil companies it is more profitable to set a higher price and then let the price adjust to the demand. Simply, instead of letting the price adjust upwards, the price is set a higher level to let it adjust downwards. 2)The increasing price over the past two years has not created a drop in demand. Rather, the increasing price is accompanied by increasing demand. 3)For countries, the increase of price and demand are signs of prosperity, so a positive thing. This is an example of where it is hard to achiever a price equilibrium.

The drought damaged the corn and soybean fields in the U.S. This caused drop in supplies in two crops to below year-earlier consumption levels for the first time since 1974. Prices have rose from 8.49 on August to $18 on September, but dropped again to $15.04 on October 3. This clearly shows both swift in supply, which set a new market equilibrium and price mechanism that adjusts the price of a product the new equilibrium. As the natural disaster swifted the supply curve, the price rose, but because the price was out of equilibrium price, the price dropped..

According to this articles, which indicates pretty clearly what is Price mechanism. The author shows the facts of petrol price: How it relates to economics and has the influence by the systems; and also shows why petroleum differ from other products.

Corn and Soybean prices fell as buyers are moving away from American producers to suppliers in South America such as Brazil and Argentina. Due to the declining demand, there will be allocative inefficiency and supplier's surplus with American corn and soybean. The equilibrium is not achieved, however the price mechanism could perhaps self-right the graph by lowering price and allow the supply to be harmonious with demand.