{% extends "double_auction/Page.html" %} {% load staticfiles otree %} {% block title %} Instructions {% endblock %} {% block scripts %} {% endblock %} {% block content %}

General rules

In the following, you will be interacting in an online market consisting of {{ num_of_buyers }} {{ label_buyer }} and {{ num_of_sellers }} {{ label_seller }}. These are real people interacting in real-time. You will be randomly assigned to the role of a buyer or the role of a seller. You will keep this role throughout the entire duration of the game. You will learn your role after reading the instructions.

There will be {{ num_of_rounds }} trading rounds in which you can earn points by trading. One of these {{ num_of_rounds }} rounds will be randomly chosen at the end of the game to count for your payment. In each of the {{ num_of_rounds }} trading rounds, the market opens for {{ market_time }} seconds, during which trading between buyers and sellers is possible.

Market Role

What can a buyer do?

In each trading round, each buyer can buy one unit of a fictional good. By buying and hence owning this good, buyers receive a benefit in terms of a valuation. At the beginning of each trading round, each buyer learns how much the good is worth to him, i.e. he learns his own valuation. These valuations are different for each buyer and measured in points. The valuations will be randomly assigned to the buyers in each round and can be 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 or 110 points. Among the buyers, each number is assigned only once within a round, i.e. one buyer is assigned a valuation of 30 points, another buyer is assigned a valuation of 40 points, yet another buyer is assigned a valuation of 50 points and so on.

What can a buyer earn?

A buyer can earn points by trading, i.e. by buying the good from a seller. If a trade occurs, a buyer gets the valuation (measured in points) minus the price (measured in points):

Buyer's earnings in points = Valuation - price

If no trade occurs, a buyer earns 0 points.

How does trading work for the buyer?

Trading is done on an online market platform. A buyer can trade in two possible ways:

  1. He can accept an ask that has been submitted by a seller. The trade then occurs at the price of the ask.
  2. Alternatively, he can submit a bid, i.e. the price at which he is willing to buy. If a seller accepts this bid or submits a lower ask, the trade occurs at the price of this bid.

The two possible ways of trading will be explained in more detail later on the screen.

The following screenshot shows how the online market platform looks like:

Market

In each trading round, buyers are numbered consecutively from 1 to {{ num_of_buyers }} . The numbers change each round such that no buyer can be identified. In the example, the buyer has number 8. The valuation of the buyer in this round is 50, as you can see from the message on the screen "Your valuation is 50". You see a list with all market participants at the right side of the screen. Bids and asks of the buyers and sellers are displayed in the table "Current bids and asks".

At the beginning of each round, there is a countdown of {{ freeze_time }} seconds during which each buyer learns his valuation. Then the market opens for {{ market_time }} seconds. While the market is open, each buyer can trade one unit of the good by accepting an ask of a seller or by submitting a bid (these are the two possible ways of trading shortly described before):

  1. Each buyer can accept an ask from the table "Current bids and asks". He does so by clicking on the accept button that shows up next to the lowest ask in the table. The good then trades for the price of the ask.

  2. Alternatively, each buyer can submit a bid, i.e. a price at which he is willing to buy the good. In order to do so, he can enter a value and click on Submit. The bid then appears in the table "Current bids and asks" and is visible to all sellers and buyers. Within a trading round, a buyer can revise his bid as many times as he likes and replace it by a new one. If a seller accepts the bid of the buyer, trade occurs at the price of the bid. To avoid a loss, a buyer can only submit bids that are equal to or lower than his valuation.

    If a buyer submits a bid and there are lower asks in the table, trade occurs at the price of the lowest ask. In principle, it is the same as if the buyer had directly accepted the lowest (and thus currently best) ask in the table.


When the market closes, each buyer receives feedback about his payoff and all trades from that round.

What can a seller do?

In each trading round, each seller can produce one unit of a fictional good that he can sell in the market. At the beginning of each trading round, each seller learns how much it costs for him to produce this good, i.e. he learns his own production costs. These production costs are measured in points. They will be randomly assigned to the sellers in each round and can be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 points. Among the sellers, each number is assigned only once within a round, i.e. one seller is assigned production costs of 10 points, another seller is assigned production costs of 20 points, yet another seller is assigned production costs of 30 points and so on.

What can a seller earn?

A seller can earn points by trading, i.e. by selling the good to a buyer. If a trade occurs, a seller gets the price (measured in points) minus the production costs (measured in points):

Seller's earnings in points = Price – production costs

If no trade occurs, the good is not produced, i.e. the seller does not pay the production costs. Thus, if no trade occurs, a seller earns 0 points.

How does trading work for the seller?

Trading is done on an online market platform. A seller can trade in two possible ways:

  1. He can accept a bid that has been submitted by a buyer. The trade then occurs at the price of this bid.
  2. Alternatively, he can submit an ask, i.e. the price at which he is willing to sell. If a buyer accepts this ask or submits a higher bid, the trade occurs at the price of this ask.

The two possible ways of trading will be explained in more detail later on the screen.

The following screenshot shows how the online market platform looks like:

Market

In each trading round, sellers are numbered consecutively from 1 to {{ num_of_sellers }}. The numbers change each round such that no seller can be identified. In the example, the seller has number 6. The production costs of the seller in this round are 20, as you can see from the message on the screen "Your production costs are 20". You see a list with all market participants at the right side of the screen. Bids and asks of the buyers and sellers are displayed in the table "Current bids and asks".

At the beginning of each round, there is a countdown of {{ freeze_time }} seconds during which each seller learns his production costs. Then the market opens for {{ market_time }} seconds. While the market is open, each seller can trade one unit of the good by accepting a bid of a buyer or by submitting an ask:

  1. Each seller can accept a bid from the table "Current bids and asks". He does so by clicking on the accept button that shows up next to the highest bid in the table. The good trades at the price of the bid.

  2. Alternatively, each seller can submit an ask, i.e. a price at which he is willing to sell the good. In order to do so, he can enter a value and click on Submit. The ask then appears in the table "Current bids and asks" and is visible to all sellers and buyers. Within a trading round, a seller can revise his ask as many times as he likes and replace it by a new one. If a buyer accepts the ask of the seller, trade occurs at the price of the ask. To avoid a loss, a seller can only submit asks that are equal to or above his production costs.

    If a seller submits an ask and there are higher bids in the table, trade occurs at the price of the highest bid. In principle, it is the same as if the seller had directly accepted the highest bid in the table.


When the market closes, each seller receives feedback about his payoff and all trades from that round.


Quiz


Please answer the following questions to make sure you understood the rules of the game correctly.

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