Crude oil prices pass-through to retail petroleum product prices in Nigeria: evidence from hidden cointegration approach

This study produces the first-ever analysis in Nigeria on the asymmetric response of petroleum product prices to international crude oil prices by employing the hidden cointegration approach on quarterly data spanning from 1973Q1 to 2020Q2. After the preliminary tests of data description, unit root analysis and cointegration test, we find that positive and negative components of both the crude oil and petroleum prices move together in the long run. The result suggests evidence of long-run asymmetry in Nigeria. The empirical findings from both the long-run and short-run results show that petroleum prices in Nigeria respond asymmetrically to changes in crude oil prices. Specifically, the outcomes from the study reveal that positive changes (increase) in crude oil prices produce a larger and stronger effect on petroleum prices than the effect of negative changes (decrease) in crude oil prices indicating evidence of an asymmetric relationship between the two prices in Nigeria. Thus, the findings confirm the existence of the rocket and feather hypothesis in the retail energy market in Nigeria. Overall, the study finds convincing evidence to support the hypothesis of “rocket and feather” in the pass-through effect of crude oil prices on petroleum prices in Nigeria. The study advocates for more government intervention in the energy market to reduce the welfare loss associated with an increase in crude oil prices on the citizens.