inelastic demand

Cultural  

1. Demand whose percentage change is less than a percentage change in price. For example, if the price of a commodity rises twenty-five percent and demand decreases by only two percent, demand is said to be inelastic. (See elasticity.)

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Example Sentences

For 2026, Hsueh expects “official” and “inelastic” demand from the world’s central banks to propel prices higher.

From MarketWatch

In Hsueh’s mind, this clears the way for reserve managers at central banks to step in, “given their theoretically infinite investment horizon” and a major source of “inelastic demand growth since 2021.”

From MarketWatch

"It also presents exactly the kind of monopoly or oligopoly power that is entrenched in a market 'with highly inelastic demand' and that 'imposes substantial costs on the public,' which Chair Khan has previously argued enforcers should seek to challenge. We urge the FTC to exercise the full scope of its authorities—under the Sherman, Clayton, and FTC Acts—to identify, challenge, and uproot anti-competitive arrangements that suppress competition among egg producers and enable dominant firms like Cal-Maine to extort consumers for the eggs they need every day."

From Salon

The vast majority of people who hire lawn services will continue to do so; i.e., inelastic demand.

From Seattle Times

Mercuriadis’s pitch to investors is that the royalty streams of proven hits are a more stable investment than gold or oil, given the inelastic demand for music — a premise that has largely held up during the pandemic.

From New York Times