price scissors

Meanings

1. The phenomenon where, for a certain group or sector of productive population, the overall valuation from their production for sale outside the group drops below the valuation of the demand of the group for goods produced outside the group after a period of reasonable equilibrium. For example, changing world price levels cause a country's exports to plummet in value, while the valuation of its imports remains relatively stable.

Etymology

Calque of Russian ножницы цен (nožnicy cen), in reference to the two price trends appearing as the blades of a pair of scissors.