cobweb cycle

cobweb cycle, in economics, fluctuations occurring in markets in which the quantity supplied by producers depends on prices in previous production periods. The cobweb cycle is characteristic of industries in which a large amount of time passes between the decision to produce something and its arrival on the market. It occurs most commonly in agriculture, because the decision of what to produce in the coming year is often based on the results of the previous year. For example, if corn prices are particularly high in a given year, more farmers will choose to plant corn the next year to take advantage of the high price. This increased supply, however, will lead to lower prices.