A financial economist runs the following regression:

Demand for cars = alpha + beta*income level + error

In this regression, the demand for cars is ______ variable and the income level is ______ variable.

A. dependent; dependent.
B. dependent; independent.
C. independent; independent.

Correct Answer: B

The left-hand side variable is the dependent variable since its behavior in the equation is being explained by the right-hand side variable, which is the independent variable. Note, however, that this does not imply any kind of causal relationship in general.